Much to the outrage of Canada’s export-minded farm groups, Bill C-202, a private member’s bill sponsored by Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, was last month unceremoniously rammed through both the House of Commons and Senate and, last time I looked, now awaits royal assent. (Editor’s online note: C-202 received royal assent on June 26.)

C-202 is pretty much a copy-paste of the late Bill C-282, which, like many private members’ bills before it, was left to linger — in this case, at report stage before third reading in the Senate — and then die when Parliament was dissolved ahead of April’s federal election. Like its predecessor, C-202 amends section 10 of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to prohibit the federal trade minister from committing Canada to either increase its tariff rate quota for imports of foreign dairy goods, poultry or eggs or reduce Canada’s tariffs on such imports beyond any existing TRQ. In other words, Canada would be prohibited by law from granting any further concessions on its supply-managed sectors in any ongoing or future trade talks.

From the perspective of the Bloc, it was probably the best of timing. One of the foundational free trade agreements governing Canadian exports has been rendered worthless in recent months by the very politician who scribbled his name in the U.S. president’s blank. Federal officials have no doubt been taking stock of what they could throw under the bus to appease Donald Trump — a guy who has previously and specifically railed against Canada’s supply management system and in recent months has abused his executive privilege to impose and/or threaten new tariffs against goods from Canada and beyond.

From the perspective of everyone else, though, the timing couldn’t have possibly been worse. Canada’s dairy and feather sector organizations have little choice but to be pleased with C-202’s passage, but can’t have been happy about having to continue to publicly justify their system’s existence. Canada’s export-minded ag sector groups, meanwhile, protested the passage of what the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance describes as a “flawed piece of legislation that sets a troubling precedent, undermining Canada’s longstanding commitment to the rules-based international trading system.”

That said, Canada’s commitment to the rules of international trade is not what’s in doubt here. As I hope I’ve implied in this space before, the problem is that the rules of the international trade game Canada is playing have proven to be only as solid as the other players’ willingness to abide by them.

For Canada to further weaken supply management under sustained international pressure for trade reform is one thing. Doing so at a time when we likely gain nothing in return — or worse, we continue to lose ground under whatever ridiculous pretext our southern neighbour comes up with next — is quite another.

The worst thing about C-202, though, is that it pitted farmer against farmer for political reasons at a time when an unwritten law of Canadian politics remains very much in effect anyway — namely, that being seen to mess with supply management is political suicide for any national party serious about forming a government.

It’s possible that unwritten law may someday change as public opinion continues to morph and evolve — and when or if that day ever comes, we can expect a repeal of the amendments now set out in C-202 to be among the first tests.

Correction

On page 5 in this issue you’ll see a letter to the editor critiquing a recent column by Ross McKenzie on selenium in the water supply. Unrelated to that letter, we happened across a small typo in the article (More on selenium and its agricultural, environmental and human concerns, April 8, pgs. 18-19). It refers to a selenium irrigation water level of 0.05 milligrams per litre, or “0.0005 kilograms” of selenium per cubic metre of water. By our math, 0.05 mg/L actually works out to 0.00005 kg per cubic metre.

Ross’s math in the rest of the article follows from the correct figure, and I’m going in to fix that typo right now in the online version of the article, but as always, we want to clarify these errors wherever we can. And as always, please do drop me a line — or a letter to the editor — with any questions, comments or concerns.

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Bill C-244 amends the Copyright Act by allowing farmers and others to bypass digital locks and access diagnostic software needed to repair machinery. Bill C-294 amends the Act to allow for increased interoperability of different technologies, including parts and computer programs, without violating copyright laws.

“After years of advocacy, these bills provide farmers the ability to repair their own equipment, ensuring the continued functionality of the advanced technology essential to modern agriculture,” said the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) in a statement praising the passage of the legislation. “Together, these bills enshrine the right to repair, helping farmers manage their operations sustainably and independently.”

The GGC called on the provincial governments to consider similar measures in their jurisdictions.

Bill C-244 was first introduced to Parliament as a private members bill in February 2022, by Wilson Miao, the Liberal Member of Parliament for Richmond Centre in B.C. Bill C-294 was introduced by Jeremy Patzer, the Conservative MP for Saskatchewan’s Cypress Hills—Grasslands riding, in June 2022.

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Provincial Agriculture Minister Andre Lamontagne on Thursday announced the passage of Bill 28, which amends legislation governing organization of farming activities and the accreditation of UPA.

The bill allows the UPA to launch a review of its funding structure and begin consultations with farmers on new regulations that would change how farms are categorized and represented — and, in turn, the annual UPA dues those farms pay, the province said.

Said new regulations would then be submitted to the Regie des marches agricoles et alimentaires du Quebec — the province’s marketing regulator for farm production — for its approval.

EN FRANÇAIS: Plus d’équité entre les producteurs agricoles et l’UPA

The province’s current Agricultural Producers Act allows only for flat-rate annual fees for UPA membership, at either a fixed single or double rate depending on a farm business’ legal structure.

The bill is meant to give UPA greater flexibility in setting farms’ annual dues through parameters such as a farm’s volume of production or its acres under cultivation as well as the size of the farm’s operating company.

Such a move, the province said, will result in “greater equity” given the diversity in farm businesses in all four corners of Quebec.

“It will be possible from now on to develop a more equitable formula, as producers have demanded for several years,” UPA president Martin Caron said in the association’s release Thursday, thanking Lamontagne and politicians from multiple parties for both the quality and speed of the discussions leading up to the bill’s passage.

More flexible and equitable contributions to UPA in turn will encourage new small farms and start-up farm businesses, Lamontagne said in the province’s separate release, noting the bill meets a 2022 election campaign promise by the governing Coalition avenir (CAQ).

The bill applies to all 42,000 UPA-represented farmers in the province and to related farming and ag industry stakeholder organizations, the province said.

UPA noted the bill will also allow those other associations more flexibility in funding their operations. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Ford, which has been Canada’s best-selling auto brand since 2009, has stated it plans to stop putting AM radios in non-commercial vehicles by 2024.

The automaker’s decision follows those of companies such as Tesla, Mazda and Volkswagen, which have removed AM receivers from their electric vehicle (EV) lines, citing electromagnetic interference the EV drivetrain can create with the AM signal.

Many rural areas and farming communities are too far from population centres to catch FM radio — making AM the only broadcast media connection for market reports, weather reports and emergency updates.

Representatives from Kubota, John Deere and Stellantis — the parent company of brands such as Chrysler, Jeep and Ram — all said in emailed statements they do not have plans to phase out AM radio in their vehicles.

But even if farming vehicles retain the AM dial, decisions like Ford’s will likely have ripple effects in rural areas.

“There’s a chain of events, of course,” said Darrin Qualman, director of climate crisis policy and action for the National Farmers Union (NFU). “If the automakers phase out the AM in their cars, then it’ll make it more likely that the radio stations will phase out AM broadcasting.

“The way that farmers and rural people are affected isn’t because they end up with the cars that don’t have the AM radios, it’s because the lack of AM radios in cars leads to the shutdown of the AM signals.”

Shifting to newer technology such as internet streaming or satellite radio would not be possible for many farmers, he added.

“Tractors, unlike cars, have a very long lifespan. Farmers keep tractors for 20, 30, 40 years or more, and they are not going to have the latest radio technology.”

Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) president Keith Currie said any new tech would not be able to match AM radio’s universality.

“Can you find certain things? Yes, like sporting events, you can typically find, but not everything’s available yet through satellite radio.”

Currie also said that since “we are a long way away” from effective cellular and 5G coverage in rural areas, the internet is not yet a viable alternative.

Currie said he is an avid AM listener.

“I live in Ontario, so I’m a big Blue Jays fan, so at night, on the tractor in particular, I’ve got the Jays game on.”

‘Need some intervention’

Another area of concern is the potential impact on emergency radio broadcasts.

“In the case of an emergency, (where) we need to communicate across vast regions or provinces all at once, I think people would turn to those AM radio sets,” Qualman said, “if we don’t have the capacity to broadcast over wide areas, it creates a problem.”

Currie said cell coverage would also be an issue when it comes to emergencies, as many would not have a strong enough signal to receive messages.

Qualman said he thinks this issue requires legislative action.

“It can’t just be shaped by the market and profitability drive of the corporate owners of radio stations,” Qualman said. “We probably need some government intervention and regulation to make sure that the AM bands that a lot of people rely on are maintained.”

“Like all things in life, times change, and we have to adapt to it, I just hope we have the resources.”

At least one attempt at such intervention is now underway south of the border.

Bipartisan groups of lawmakers on Wednesday launched legislation in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that would direct that country’s transportation secretary to ensure consumers have access to AM radio in all new vehicles, without paying extra.

The proposed rule would give the secretary a year to set a standard for new motor vehicles in the U.S. to come with AM radio. Until that standard is in place, vehicles sold without AM radio receivers would have to be “explicitly labeled” for buyers.

“There is a clear public safety imperative here,” Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), said in a release Wednesday from the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

“Having AM radio available in our cars means we always have access to emergency alerts and key warnings while we are out on the road. Updating transportation should not mean sacrificing access to what can be lifesaving information.”

Markey also noted endorsement for the bill from the U.S. National Association of Broadcasters and National Association of Farm Broadcasters.

“Carmakers shouldn’t tune out AM radio in new vehicles or put it behind a costly digital paywall,” Markey said in his release, saying his bill aims to ensure AM “does not become a relic of the past.”

— Jonah Grignon reports for Glacier FarmMedia from Ottawa. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

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The bill, which requires manufacturers such as Deere and Co. to provide manuals for diagnostic software and other aids, garnered bipartisan support as farmers grew increasingly frustrated with costly repairs and inflated input prices denting their profits.

With a Case IH red tractor displayed outside the state Capitol in Denver, Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed the Consumer Right to Repair Agriculture Equipment Act.

“I am proud to sign this important bipartisan legislation that saves hardworking farmers and ranchers time and money on repairs, and supports Colorado’s thriving agriculture industry,” he said in an emailed statement. “This is a common-sense bipartisan bill to help people avoid unnecessary delays from equipment repairs.”

The legislation passed on a 46-14 vote in Colorado’s Senate earlier this month.

Once the law goes into effect on Jan. 1, farm machinery manufacturers such as Deere and rival CNH Industrial, which owns the Case IH and New Holland brands, will have to provide farmers with diagnostic tools, software and documents. Independent technicians will also be able to access similar resources.

Deere has said it believes the legislation is unnecessary and will carry unintended consequences. CNH did not respond to request for comment.

Right-to-repair legislation is gaining momentum across the country as lawmakers in 16 states have introduced bills, according to a report by the Public Interest Research Group, an advocacy organization.

Colorado farmer Daniel Waldvogle, who was present for the bill’s signing, hopes that right to repair will be a key issue for the next U.S. Farm Bill under discussion in Washington.

“Creating more fair market access through right to repair is one of the items that we hope will be included,” he said.

— Reporting for Reuters by Bianca Flowers in Chicago and Kevin Mohatt in Denver.

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The Consumer Right to Repair Agriculture Equipment Act passed 46-14 in Colorado’s Senate late on Tuesday, after winning approval in the state House of Representatives in February. The bill garnered bipartisan support as farmers grew increasingly frustrated with costly repairs and inflated input prices denting their profits.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has 10 days to sign the bill into law and he is expected to do so, according to a spokesperson.

Equipment makers have generally required customers to use their authorized dealers for repairs to machines like combines and tractors.

Colorado’s legislation would mandate farm machinery manufacturers such as Deere and rival CNH to provide farmers with diagnostic tools, software documents, and repair manuals starting Jan. 1. Similar resources must be made available to independent technicians.

MORE READING:

• No clear-cut fix in right to repair debate
• NDP proposes ‘right to repair’ bill for farm equipment, vehicles

A spokesperson for Deere and Co. responded to the passage of the bill, saying that it support farmers’ right to repair but believes the legislation is “unnecessary and will carry unintended consequences.”

Equipment makers worry the legislation may allow farmers to override certain safety systems or emissions controls, said Eric Wareham, a North American Equipment Dealers Association vice-president.

State Representative Brianna Titone, a Democrat who sponsored the legislation, predicted other states will follow suit.

“If there are no lawsuits or collapse of the industry, it demonstrates that the law is not going to cause chaos like many opponents think it will,” Titone said.

Lawmakers amended the bill to include language that farmers and repair shops will not be authorized “to make modifications” to functions related to security or emissions.

State lawmakers are pushing right-to-repair legislation even though Deere and CNH signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation to allow farmers to fix their equipment or go to a third-party repair shop.

The agreement does not give farmers total access for repairs, said Kevin O’Reilly, director for the campaign of right to repair at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

— Bianca Flowers is a Reuters correspondent covering the U.S. manufacturing sector from Chicago.

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The provincial ag ministry on Monday launched a round of public consultation on the Veterinarians Act, which governs licensing of veterinarians and accreditation of veterinary facilities in Ontario.

The ag ministry said it’s “looking for specific feedback on how we can better define animal care activities provided by veterinary professionals.”

That means more clearly laying out the “scope of practice for veterinary medicine,” such as the procedures, services and processes a licensed veterinarian or other veterinary professional — a veterinary technician, for example — is permitted to perform.

Updates to the legislation would also “clarify” specific care activities, such as massage therapy or rehabilitation, that can be provided to animals by people other than vets and vet techs.

The province said it’s also weighing how oversight of the Ontario veterinary profession can be better lined up with that of other self-governing regulated professions, so as “to ensure that the veterinary profession continues to be managed in the public interest.”

For example, the province said, that could involve “altering the composition” of the profession’s governing council to include a “wider range of membership and voices” such as vet techs, academic representatives and/or “additional public members.”

The province said it’s also looking for public feedback on “how to improve accountability and transparency to make sure that powers, responsibilities and processes under the (Veterinarians) Act are clear to the public.”

Feedback collected in this round of consultations would go to help develop a “more detailed proposal” for amendments to the Veterinarians Act, the province said.

Such proposals would then be laid out in a discussion paper that’s expected to be posted on the Regulatory Registry for further public consultation in early 2023, at which time the public would be able to provide “additional input.”

A ministry representative said via email there’s no firm deadline for submissions to the current round of consultations, but feedback received by early January 2023 will go to help develop the discussion paper. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act floated by Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, finance chairman Ron Wyden and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, would expunge federal non-violent marijuana crimes, further medical research and allow cannabis companies access to essential financial services.

While adult use of cannabis is legal in 18 states, and allowed medically in 37 states, it remains illegal under U.S. federal law, deterring banks and others from dealing with companies that sell marijuana or related products.

The draft set the minimum age required to buy cannabis at 21 and limited retail sales transactions at the state level to 10 ounces of cannabis at a time or the equivalent amount of any cannabis derivative.

The draft also states that a new definition of cannabis would be established and proposes moving cannabis oversight to the Food and Drug Administration and regulators that overlook alcohol and tobacco, away from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

States will control the possession, production, or distribution of cannabis, the draft says, while shipping marijuana into states that have not legalized it will be prohibited. However, such states can not stop shipments going to other legalized regions through their borders.

Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said “This new bill puts the cart before the horse.” He added that marijuana use needs more research.

A final legislative draft will be introduced later and feedback on the discussion draft can be provided until Sept. 1.

To become a law, the measure will have to pass both the Democratic-controlled Senate and House of Representatives and be signed by President Joe Biden.

“It is hard to see how this can pass, but nonetheless it is positive to see progress and momentum,” said Greg Heyman, founder of cannabis investment firm Beehouse Partners.

A major cannabis banking reform bill that was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in April has failed to make any progress in the Senate.

“Our main concern over this current legislation (Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act) is around the ability to get it passed in the Senate,” private equity firm Poseidon managing director Michael Boniello said, adding it may hinder other federal cannabis reforms, including the banking act, from being passed in 2021.

— Reporting for Reuters by Arathy S Nair in Bangalore.

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Bill C-29, introduced Tuesday in the House of Commons, cleared third reading in the Commons Wednesday and received three readings in the Senate and royal assent Friday.

The port’s longshore workers, represented by the Syndicat des debardeurs du port de Montreal (CUPE Local 375), undertook a part-time strike starting April 13, and expanded that to a full-time stoppage effective April 26.

The workers’ previous collective agreement expired at the end of December 2018; the union has described the main sticking point in talks as worker scheduling as it relates to “work/life balance.”

A strike doesn’t affect bulk grain traffic, which is protected under the federal Labour Code, it does affect export movement of containerized crops, such as pulses and special crops, as well as imports of goods such as fertilizer.

Federal Labour Minister Filomena Tassi, in introducing C-29 on Tuesday, billed it as the government’s “least desired course of action.”

The bill, she said at the time, would also set up a “neutral mediation-arbitration process to resolve the issues in dispute between the parties and conclude a new collective agreement,” she said, emphasizing the government “is not taking sides.”

Tassi had also said C-29 does not prevent the union and Maritime Employers Association (MEA), which represents port terminal companies, from “concluding an agreement on their own terms at any point in this process.”

Pulse Canada, which among other crops sector groups had pressed Ottawa to ward off a work stoppage, said Friday the pulse industry “welcomes the end of the strike” at the port and thanked MPs and senators who voted for C-29’s passage.

However, Pulse Canada president Greg Cherewyk said the group “encourages both parties to reach a permanent agreement as quickly as possible in order to provide certainty to containerized shipping in Canada.”

Cherewyk described the port work stoppage as “the latest example of the vulnerability of Canada’s supply chains” and said Pulse Canada seeks “a national conversation on supply chain resiliency” including shippers, government and other stakeholders.

CUPE on Friday ripped C-29 as “unconstitutional, as it infringes fundamental rights protected by the Charter” and said it would challenge the bill in court.

In a release, the union said the MEA “walked away from the bargaining table April 27, once it was clear the Trudeau government would give them their wish of legislating their employees back to work.”

CUPE national president Mark Hancock said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “just sent a loud and clear message to every employer in the country: don’t bother bargaining in good faith with your workers, because if things get tough, we’ll be there to bail you out.”

CUPE national secretary-treasurer Charles Fleury, in the same release, credited the federal New Democrats and party leader Jagmeet Singh “for successfully amending this bill to take away some of its worst elements.”

The NDP, in a separate release Thursday, said Trudeau and Tassi “are going to dispose of an inconvenient labour dispute and undermine fundamental Canadian labour rights along the way.” –– Glacier FarmMedia Network

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The federal Liberal government said Sunday it would introduce special legislation to end the strike at the Port of Montreal, hoping to stop it from hurting the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unionized workers, in talks for a new contract since 2018, started a partial strike last week and warned they were prepared to walk off the job completely to protest changes to their work schedule.

The centre-left minority Liberal government needs the support of one opposition party to push through the legislation. The left-leaning New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois both said they would not support it.

The official opposition Conservatives, who have generally supported the idea of forcing an end to strikes in key industries, said they would study the law before deciding.

Both sides said they were meeting on Monday with a federal mediator.

The 1,125 longshore workers, represented by the Syndicat des debardeurs du port de Montreal (CUPE Local 375), had already refused to work weekends and nights after rejecting an offer in March from the Maritime Employers Association.

“A labour stoppage would not only prevent goods from passing through the port but would also create congestion at other ports,” said Perrin Beatty, chief executive of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The Montreal Port Authority said it handles $275 million worth of goods daily.

“This strike is going to have massive detrimental effects on the Canadian agricultural sector,” said Dwight Gerling, president of DG Global, a major shipper of soybeans.

Bulk grain exports through the port would not be affected under the federal Labour Code, but the strike is expected to affect exports of containerized crops — and imports of crop inputs such as fertilizer.

The dockworkers’ last strike in August 2020 lasted 19 days and had a ripple effect on supply chains.

— Reporting for Reuters by Allison Lampert in Montreal; additional reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg and David Ljunggren in Ottawa. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

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