General

The Harper government is proposing regulatory changes that would repeal a section of the regulations for the election of directors of the Canadian Wheat Board. The move would throw open the door for unlimited spending by third parties in the debate by, “… removing the current $10,000 spending restriction on advertising expenses in place for […] Read more

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has vowed to analyze the recently-released U.S. Department of Agriculture’s country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rule to “determine the economic impacts on integrated North American markets.” In a July 30 statement, Ritz expressed disappointment with U.S. COOL legislation, saying it “may discriminate against Canadian products.” He also hinted at possible trade action […] Read more

The Ontario government is making a total of $12 million available over four years through the Ontario Market Investment Fund to help promote consumer awareness of Ontario-produced foods and to encourage Ontarians to buy locally. A government release said the program will help develop opportunities through trade events, marketing campaigns and industry research initiatives that […] Read more

Following the collapse of WTO negotiations earlier this week, Canadian farm leaders and politicians have largely reinforced their previous positions. Trade minister Michael Fortier was quick to say trade remains at the top of the government agenda, despite the fact that Canada was the lone holdout on some measures around supply-managed agricultural commodities. “Canada is […] Read more