Canola on the Hill 2023 – Canola Digest

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the Canola Council of Canada board during Lobby Day in Ottawa November 7.

CCC’s Lobby Day Highlights

As part of its ongoing advocacy and engagement efforts to advance the industry’s public policy priorities, CCC board and staff recently held its Ottawa lobby day. This provided the opportunity to meet with parliamentarians, political staff and senior officials to discuss key issues for the value chain leading up to the Fall Economic Statement and Budget 2024. Topics covered as part of this activity included:

1. Sustainability and biofuels

Canola is a climate solutions provider and is playing a key role in reducing emissions. The domestic and international biofuels markets are a key part of the canola industry’s growth and diversification efforts and are a catalyst for private sector investments in new processing capacity.

Our Asks: Address farmer concerns with the federal fertilizer emissions reduction target and incentivize domestic investment in clean fuel production.

2. International trade and market access

Today, the vast majority of Canadian canola is destined for export markets and international trade is the lifeblood of the industry. With new canola crushing capacity coming online in the next several years, finding markets for more canola-based products (i.e. increased volumes of meal used in animal diets) will be important.

Our Asks: Ensure a balanced approach to China given the importance of this market for Canadian canola and defend Canada’s trade policy and reputation by defeating proposed legislation that would undermine our trade negotiations.

3. Competitive and innovative regulatory environment

As Canada looks to advance dual objectives of productivity growth and emissions reduction, a competitive and innovative regulatory environment is necessary to drive investment and innovation. This must include an unwavering commitment to science- and evidence-based decision-making.

Our Asks: Establish a clear regulatory pathway as quickly as possible for plant breeding innovations and ensure that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency has the resources required to support a robust world-class regulatory system.

4. Transportation

Supply chain issues continue to have an impact on Canada’s global reputation as a supplier of grains and oilseeds, including canola. Increasing competition among the Class 1 railways and ensuring transparency in reporting through the Grain Plans will better position the canola industry to move product to market and meet global demand.

Our Ask: Support Canadian farmers and shippers by making the Prairies’ extended interswitching pilot permanent and increasing the distance to 500km.

CCGA’S Lobby Day Highlights

Why go to Ottawa? Policy decisions have real implications at the farm level. By putting a face to the farmers behind this multi-billion-dollar Canadian industry, we are able to connect with policymakers and influencers who may not have an understanding or experience with agriculture or the farm. Policy risks are real, and lobby day is an excellent opportunity to have farm leaders talk directly with decision-makers—to connect with them about the realities of farming and how policies can create opportunities or obstacles for farmers.

Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (centre), met with (l to r) Roger Chevraux, CCGA board chair and Alberta Canola chair, Codie Nagy, CCGA director and SaskCanola director, Delaney Ross Burtnack, executive director of Manitoba Canola Growers, and Rick White, president and CEO of CCGA.

CCGA, joined by the provincial canola commissions, participated in over 25 parliamentary meetings to highlight three important policy areas to advance a sustainable future:

1. Rail transportation

Canola representatives discussed the importance of rail service for farmers and the need for appropriately designed regulatory mechanisms to enhance the reliability of rail service and promote competition between
the railways.

Specifically, Budget 2023 initiated a ‘pilot’ for regulated extended interswitching, expanding the radius from 30 km to 160 km for any shipper in the prairie provinces, for a duration of 18 months (in effect September 2023 to March 2025). The pilot should be made permanent, extended to 500 km, and applied nationally as this is an important pro-competitive tool, injecting commercial forces into the railway-shipper negotiations, that in turn, help ship farmers’ products more efficiently.

Our Ask: Support competition in Canada’s railways by making Budget 2023’s extended interswitching pilot permanent.

While at the Parliamentary reception at the National Gallery of Canada, Chris Davison, president and CEO of the CCC, Roger Chevraux, CCGA board chair and Alberta Canola chair, connected again with Lawrence MacAulay (centre), Canada’s minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

2. Sustainable Agriculture Strategy

Canola farmers are leaders in sustainability with a strong commitment to preserving the environment for future generations. To ensure their success, it’s crucial to involve them in decision making. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Sustainable Agriculture Strategy should recognize their achievements, provide incentives for pragmatic changes, avoid one-size-fits-all approaches and targets, and promote regionally tailored solutions to address specific agricultural challenges.

Our Asks: Invest further and create an enabling regulatory environment to support agriculture research and development to boost farmer competitiveness and climate resilience.

3. Canada Grain Act

Last overhauled in 1971, the Canada Grain Act, which governs the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), has not kept pace with the evolution of the Canadian grain sector and the way farmers grow, deliver and sell crops. Government leadership is needed to move the 2021 review and consultation forward and legislative change should be a priority in this Parliament.

Our Ask: Modernize the Canada Grain Act to align farmer protections and Canada’s grain quality assurance system with today’s practices and position Canada as a leading supplier of high-quality, safe grain.

What’s next? CCGA will continue to advocate for these issues and others to ensure canola farmers’ voices are heard in our nation’s capital.