Dec 10 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Meat consumption is at levels not seen since the 1980s, it says. OTTAWA – The Canadian Meat Council (CMC) says meat consumption remains strong in Canada despite claims in the Canada Food Report 2019 that Canadians are moving to plant-based food alternatives. The beef demand index showed a decrease of just 2 per cent […]
Dec 10 2018 — Don Lenihan — National Newswatch — Tomorrow, Canada will sign the United Nations Global Compact on Migration in Marrakesh, Morocco, and so it should. For Canada, at least, this is a no-brainer. At least, it seemed to be, until Andrew Sheer shot up a flare in Question Period last week. Now everyone has a view. Sheer claims that the Trudeau government […]
Dec 5 2018 — Glen Pearson — National Newswatch — They say he was from another era, another point in time when respect mattered, humility was a virtue and decency was effective. They also follow these observations by noting that such times are gone forever, relegated to history, never to be resurrected. But maybe that’s not right. The tributes that poured in following the passing […]
Dec 4 2018 — Glen Pearson — National Newswatch — It was an honour last evening to be asked to offer the benediction at the official swearing in of our new City Council and to place the official chain of office around the neck of incoming mayor Ed Holder. Similar formalities are going on across Ontario. Two things remained with me following the ceremony – […]
Dec 1 2018 — John Milloy — National Newswatch — You can’t accuse Doug Ford of being inactive. Despite spending long hours fighting with the feds, dealing with sexual misconduct scandals and holding show trials of the Kathleen Wynne Liberals, our busy premier still has enough energy to dismantle government programs and eliminate officers of the legislature. Ford’s activist streak stops, however, when it comes […]
Nov 30 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Agrifood industry needs to keep prodding governments on regulatory burden. OTTAWA—While the agrifood strategy table bettered the federal government’s agrifood export goal by $10 billion, that might not be an ambitious enough target, says Saskatchewan farmer Lee Moats. The 2017 federal budget set a goal of $75 billion worth of agrifood exports by 2025. […]
Nov 29 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Former farm leader and cabinet minister says unique work environment adds to stress on farmers. OTTAWA—Former farm leader and federal cabinet minister Ted Menzies had a blunt and personal message about farmers for the Commons agriculture committee, which is studying mental health issues in agriculture. “We’re very reluctant to speak about it or to […]
Nov 28 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Program still exists within Agriculture Canada. OTTAWA—The former government reduced funding for the Canada Brand initiative to help agrifood boost exports in 2014 just as Canada was launching talks for new free trade agreements, says Kathleen Donohue, Director General of the Market Access Secretariat at Agriculture Canada. The Canada Brand was created in 2006 […]
Nov 27 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Thanks to rising grain exports, traffic has increased almost 4 per cent so far this year. OTTAWA—The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. has announced its usual plan to close the waterway’s locks between Christmas and New Years as long as the weather permits it to stay open to then. As the clock ticks down […]
Nov 26 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Agriculture Canada has awarded about $440,000 to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) to develop a strategy to boost consumer confidence in food. CFA’s role in the strategy development will be to manage and administer the process nationally through the Public Trust Steering Committee (PTSC). It will study […]
Nov 24 2018 — C. Scott Clark and Peter DeVries — National Newswatch — Paul Martin presented the first fall Economic and Fiscal Update in 1995. The purpose of that Update was to present a review of current and future economic circumstances and what these meant for the fiscal situation of the federal government. It contained no new policy initiatives. These were left for the subsequent spring budget. The […]
Nov 23 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Export diversification strategy also welcomed. OTTAWA—Farm and other business groups welcomed new equipment depreciation rules and a diversified export strategy Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced in his fall economic update. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), Grain Growers of Canada (GGC), the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) […]
Nov 22 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Commons agriculture committee to add to campaign to make farmers aware. OTTAWA –Farm Credit Canada is taking the lead in a federal outreach to farmers to recognize the pressures they face and to seek help if they’re feeling overwhelmed by them. Todd Klink, FCC’s Executive Vice President and CMO, told a news conference just […]
Nov 21 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Existing nutrition facts box works, says StatsCan. OTTAWA—The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCOC) has added its voice to the food industry’s opposition to proposed new Health Canada food labels as a costly job-killing move. CCOC President Perrin Beatty and Denise Allen, President and CEO of Food Processors of Canada, sent a joint letter to […]