- Ended the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly on grain exports in 2012 with the ‘Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act,’ and sold the Wheat Board in 2015 (1, 3)
- Introduced ‘Growing Forward 2’ in 2013, a 5-year policy framework for Canada's agricultural sector, which includes a $3 billion dollar-investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments for programs focusing on innovation, competitiveness and market development (31)
- Passed Bill C-18, the ‘Agricultural Growth Act’ (November 2014), an omnibus bill touching on many aspects of agricultural production, including strengthening intellectual property rights for plant breeders and facilitating farmers’ access to advance payments for their crops.(4, 5)
- In 2013, announced a 15% spending cut to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which it maintains will not compromise food safety (7, 8)
- Invested $4 million to support agriculture in the North, including $2 million to establish a permanent campus for the Northern Farm Training Institute in Hay River, NWT (9)
- Has negotiated Canada into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a massive international trade deal involving 12 countries and 40% of the world economy, with major implications for Canadian agriculture; while the agreement has been made, the legal text has not been drafted nor has it been formally adopted by the negotiating countries (6, 32, 34)
- As part of the TPP, Canada would gain access to significant new markets for agricultural exports, especially pork, beef, barley, processed foods, and canola oil (34, 36)
- As part of the TPP, Canada would open a small amount of its dairy (3.25%), poultry (2.1%), and egg markets to allow for small amounts of duty-free imports, but it would not dismantle Canada’s supply-management regime for dairy (34, 36)
- Has promised $4.3 billion in compensation for farmers who suffer as a result of the TPP and the earlier Canada-European trade agreement (34, 35)
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- Voted against the sale of the Canadian Wheat Board, and was highly critical of the process of its sale (11, 12)
- Envisions a national Food Strategy, entitled “Everybody Eats”, highlighting support for local farms, young/new farmers, market supply managed sectors, and sustainable farming practices. (10)
- Promises to create a payment protection plan for fruit and vegetable growers, which will provide financial protection to producers in the event of a buyer’s bankruptcy or withheld payments (14, 15)
- Voted against Bill C-18 (‘Agricultural Growth Act’) (13)
- States that an NDP government would not consider itself bound by a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as it believes that the TPP's negotiation is not being carried out legitimately; comments that the partnership could undermine Canada’s market supply-managed sectors and manufacturing sectors (16, 33)
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- Voted against the sale of the Canadian Wheat Board, and asked the Governor General to block the Conservative Party’s sale of the Canadian Wheat Board on the grounds that the sale did not follow due process (17, 18)
- Pledges to invest $160 million over four years in an Agri-Food Value Added Investment Fund to provide technical and marketing assistance to help food processors develop new value-added products (37 p.16)
- Pledges to invest $100 million over four years into agricultural research (37 p.16)
- Voted in favour of Bill C-18 (‘Agricultural Growth Act’) (19)
- Calls for a moratorium on the sale and use of pesticides based on neonicotinoids (a chemical found in certain pesticides which has been found to be harmful to bees), and asks that pollinator health effects be made a more important factor in the approval of new pesticides (20)
- Will increase the budget for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency by $80 million (37 p.16)
- Will not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) if concessions are made over Canada’s supply-managed dairy sector and have criticized negotiation process, stating it has been secretive (21, 33)
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- Voted against the sale of the Canadian Wheat Board (22)
- Envisions a National Agricultural and Food Policy, emphasizing food safety; local, direct food sales for farmers; and a shift to smaller-scale and organic agriculture (23, 24)
- Believes that voluntary codes of humane animal treatment should be mandatory (30)
- Will end subsidies to the production of any biofuel crop that can’t return as much energy as it took to produce (26)
- Opposes the widespread use of pesticides with genetically modified, pesticide-resistant seed; supports farmers’ right to save and use non-genetically modified seed at no cost; and will make GMO food labelling mandatory (27)
- Voted against Bill C-18 (‘Agricultural Growth Act’) (38)
- Supports a moratorium on the use of neonicotinoids (a chemical found in certain pesticides which has been found to be harmful to bees) (25)
- Supports increasing funding for and strengthening the mandate of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (28)
- Opposes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) (29)
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