NewsLine by Cole's Ag on April 29, 2025, 9:29am

Grain Growers of Canada Welcomes New Federal Government, Urges Immediate Action on Key Farm Priorities

April 29, 2025 (Ottawa, ON) – Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) welcomes Prime Minister Mark Carney and all Members of Parliament elected to Canada’s 45 th Parliament and is urging the new government to act swiftly to address the pressing challenges facing Canadian grain farmers.

“The stakes of this election could not have been higher for grain farmers,” said Kyle Larkin, Executive Director of GGC. “From rising input costs and global market uncertainty to transportation bottlenecks and regulatory pressures, producers are facing a growing list of challenges that require immediate federal attention.”

To deliver meaningful relief, GGC is urging the government to reverse the capital gains tax increase, permanently eliminate the carbon tax for on-farm activities, and resolve ongoing trade uncertainty with the United States and China.

“The capital gains tax increase and the carbon tax are not abstract issues for farmers,” said Tara Sawyer, Chair of GGC and a grain farmer from Acme, Alberta. “They directly impact whether we can invest in new equipment, transfer the farm on to the next generation, and continue contributing to the economy. We need immediate action to support the continued viability of family-run grain farms.”

During the election, GGC helped raise awareness of these challenges through its Vote for Grain campaign, which saw hundreds of letters sent to political candidates across the country. The campaign also urged the government to invest in trade-enabling infrastructure, improve transportation systems, modernize regulations, support plant breeding innovation, and defend access to global markets through rules-based trade.

“Grain farmers are ready to be an equal partner with government in growing Canada’s economy,” said Larkin. “We look forward to working with Prime Minister Mark Carney and all Members of Parliament in addressing short-term challenges and creating long-term policies that support family farms across Canada.”

-30- 

About Grain Growers of Canada (GGC): 
As the national voice for Canada’s grain farmers, Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) represents over 70,000 producers through our 14 national, provincial and regional grower groups. Our members steward 110 million acres of land to grow food for Canadians and for 160 countries around the world, creating $45 billion in export value annually. As the farmer-driven association for the grains sector, GGC champions federal policies that support the competitiveness and profitability of grain growers across Canada. 

For more information, please contact: 

Hana Sabah
Communications Manager
Grain Growers of Canada 
514-834-8841 | media@graingrowers.ca 

NewsLine by Cole's Ag on March 17, 2025, 3:40pm

ACA Welcomes First Step Towards Removing Carbon Price from farmers, Urges Legislative Action to Provide Certainty for Farmers

March 17, 2025 (Ottawa, ON) – The Agriculture Carbon Alliance (ACA) welcomes the Prime Minister’s announced elimination of the consumer carbon price via Order-in-Council (OIC) until further legislative action provides increased certainty for farmers.

“The reduction of the consumer carbon price to $0 is a good first step for Canadians – and, by extension, our farmers, growers and ranchers,” said Dave Carey, co-chair of ACA. “We welcome this news, and we look forward to the ongoing discussion on permanently removing the carbon pricing mechanism for producers.”

“With many farmers on the eve of a new growing season, and others in the midst of harvest, they need certainty when it comes to future carbon pricing and the impact on all farms. We hope this this will come through legislative action once Parliament has resumed.”

The Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, passed in 2019, sets out a legislative framework for both the consumer carbon price and the industrial price. Without a future legislative change though, the risk remains that farmers could continue paying a carbon price on essential farming activities such as irrigation, grain drying, feed preparation, heating or cooling of barns and other agriculture growing structures.

“Our farmer members are facing a significant rise in input, land and labour costs, while seeing a reduction in their revenue due to trade uncertainty,” added Scott Ross, co-chair of ACA.

“The Prime Minister’s actions have come as welcome news, but Canadian producers need certainty on this issue – particularly during this challenging time in international trade.”

With no viable fuel alternatives, carbon surcharges pull capital from critical investments that would otherwise augment the sector’s potential to reduce emissions further and support food security.

ACA urges Parliamentarians to reach a permanent solution via the removal or alteration of the existing Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to exempt all farmers, growers and ranchers of all sizes from carbon pricing entirely. ACA remains committed to working with the government to shape agri-environmental policies that drive sustainable productivity growth and strengthen the competitiveness of our producers.

-30-

For media inquiries, please contact:

Cole Christensen
cole@colesag.com
403-589-3529

ACA is a national coalition of 16 farm organizations committed to meaningful and collaborative dialogue with the federal government around carbon pricing. Our membership encompasses all major agriculture commodities and represents 190,000 farm businesses that steward 62 million hectares. Canada’s farmers are the heart of our agri-food value chain, which contributes $135 billion annually and provides one in nine Canadian jobs.

Top