General

A survey backed by Canada’s federal farm lender finds most Canadian consumers are all for buying locally-grown or -produced food, but fewer than half of those would pay more for it. The survey, run in mid-March for Farm Credit Canada (FCC) using a sample of 2,015 Canadians from a panel convened by pollster Angus Reid, […] Read more

An agreement has been signed between federal and provincial ag ministers on the goals of the follow-up to the Growing Forward ag policy funding framework — but with one major holdout. Ontario’s ag minister Carol Mitchell did not sign onto the ministers’ joint statement Friday on what’s been dubbed “Growing Forward 2,” citing a lack […] Read more

Manitoba’s deputy premier and finance minister Rosann Wowchuk, the first woman anywhere in Canada to be named as a minister of agriculture, has announced she won’t seek re-election this fall. Wowchuk, who represents the northwestern riding of Swan River, told media as recently as February that she planned to run again in the Oct. 4 […] Read more

Retirements and career moves have led to new appointments on the way up two farm- and food-related chains of command in the senior federal public service, including a new president for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. George Da Pont, currently the CFIA’s executive vice-president, was named to the president’s post Thursday in an announcement from […] Read more

Canadians can expect to start receiving mail again Tuesday following the passage of a federal bill Saturday to resume operations at Canada Post. Canada Post said Sunday its employees would return to work “within the next 24-48 hours” and any mail in the system at the time of the work disruption has been secured for […] Read more

Farmers and rain both poured into Regina last week for what’s ironically billed as “Canada’s largest dryland farming expo.” Organizers of the Western Canada Farm Progress Show on Monday reported a total of 43,012 attendees walking through the gates during the June 15-17 show at Regina’s exhibition park, Evraz Place. “The downpour on Friday didn’t […] Read more

A clutch of farm organizations from 66 countries, calling for allowance of greater “policy space” in global ag trade talks, now includes the groups representing Canada’s supply-managed dairy, egg and poultry farmers. Groups including the Dairy Farmers of Canada, Chicken Farmers of Canada and Egg Farmers of Canada on Monday signed onto a joint declaration […] Read more

Canada opposes France’s proposal to tighten controls on commodity speculation, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told Reuters Insider TV on Wednesday.  Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France, which currently chairs the G20 group for emerging and developed nations, called on Tuesday for tighter regulation of the speculators he blames for spiraling food and energy prices. Canada’s Conservative […] Read more