Conservative MP John Barlow shared that one family is on the brink of losing its farm
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
MPs sat for four days in the House of Commons last week as they prepared to elect a new Speaker of the House.
After the Tuesday vote, which saw Liberal MP Greg Fergus succeed Anthony Rota as the speaker, politicians got back to their regular duties in question period.
During question period on Oct. 3, John Barlow, the Conservative ag critic, reminded the government that when the carbon tax increases, everyone in the supply chain pays more, including consumers. And he asked how many families would rely on foodbanks for their Thanksgiving meals.
In response, Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault cited that multiple ag organizations committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and accused the Conservatives of having no solution for climate change.
Barlow rebutted with an example of how the carbon tax hurts farmers.
A farmer contacted him with some dire news.
“A third-generation farmer from B.C. called me saying in three months, they are going to lose their farm,” Barlow told the House of Commons on Oct. 3. “Four of her neighbours have already done so and another is selling their cows and their quota. Why? It is because after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, they cannot afford farm-killing carbon taxes and higher interest rates. Farmers cannot afford when diesel goes up 70¢ a litre.”
Barlow again called for the government to cancel its carbon tax.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay responded.
He told the House about what he’s seen visiting farms out west.
“I visited western Canada. Bales of straw are $300 a bale because of the drought and not far away, there are floods because of climate change,” he said “Farmers fully understand the costs of climate change and they are in the front row in order to make sure that we protect the farms and the farmland, and we will continue to do so.”
On Oct. 4, no questions directly related to agriculture came up.
But Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Trudeau went back and forth on the carbon tax.
At the beginning of question period on Oct. 5, Poilievre outlined how expensive turkeys this Thanksgiving are during an exchange with Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
“I check the flyers,” Poilievre said. “In the last year of Conservative government, a turkey cost $1.49 a pound. Now it is $2.49 a pound. That’s a 67% increase. After eight years of this Prime Minister, his carbon taxes are driving up the costs for the farmers who produce food and for the truck drivers who transport it. Everyone who buys food ends up paying more.”
In response, Minister Champagne outlined the Liberal’s plan to work with big grocery chains to stabilize prices.
Multiple Conservative MPs attacked the carbon tax and how it’s affecting affordability over Thanksgiving weekend.
Luc Berthold, the Conservative MP for Mégantic—L'Érable, outlined that the prices of peas, turkey and potatoes are all up.
Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge responded.
“Something (Conservatives) never talk about is the fact that climate change is also increasing the cost of groceries,” she said. “This year saw the worst harvests in almost every region of Quebec and Canada. More than anyone, our farmers across the country know how important it is to keep putting a price on pollution and fighting climate change.”
Clifford Small, the Conservative MP for Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame, outlined how in Newfoundland and Labrador, food bank usage is at a 42-year-high, and called for the removal of the carbon tax.
In response to this, Adam van Koeversden, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of environment and minister of sport, highlighted how climate change affects the ag sector, and praised farmers for their work.
“The agri-food sector has endured more extreme weather events, particularly in the province of the member, such as increasingly severe and frequent storms, soil erosion, erratic and unpredicted rainfall, and higher-than-ever temperatures, including here in Ottawa in the last three days. That all results from climate change,” he said in the House of Commons.
“As farmers always do, they have persevered. They have developed and implemented more environmentally friendly on-farm practices and have reduced their emissions. The government is supporting them every step of the way through that process, and we will make sure that we continue to be there for farmers and consumers when it comes to lowering food prices.”
On Oct. 6, the Conservatives and some NDP MPs continued to ask the Liberal government how it was going to lower food prices.
A brief exchange directly related to agriculture also occurred.
Anna Gainey, the Liberal MP for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, asked how the government is supporting dairy producers who have lost market shares because of trade agreements.
Francis Drouin, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of agriculture, responded.
“Last week, the minister and I announced $333 million for dairy processors in response to the issue of the non-fat solids structures,” he told the House of Commons. “This is good news for our dairy producers. It is good news for our dairy processors. It is good news for Quebec, and it is good news for Canada.”