GUELPH ON – On December 5, the Senate narrowly voted in favour of a proposed amendment to Bill C-234, the Act to Amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act. The amendment excludes heating and cooling of livestock buildings and other agricultural production facilities including greenhouses from the federal carbon tax exemption proposed under the Bill. These are activities for which clean and viable alternative technologies are not yet available for farmers.
This amendment, which passed by a vote of 40 to 39, had previously been rejected by both the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food and the entire Senate at report stage, and now prevents the Bill from becoming law and providing immediate relief for farmers, businesses and consumers.
“We are profoundly disappointed at this outcome. Bill C-234 would have greatly benefited both farmers and consumers by excluding critical food-producing activities from the federal carbon tax. This vote to amend the Bill will have significant financial implications for Canadians already struggling with inflation and affordability and poses long term threats to our ability to produce food, fibre, fuel and flowers.”
Drew Spoelstra, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Bill C-234 is a private member’s bill introduced to address an oversight in the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act of 2018, which placed a regulatory charge on fuels like gasoline, natural gas and propane to encourage industries to become more efficient and use cleaner technologies. However, scalable and affordable solutions that could offer viable fuel alternatives are still years away from being accessible to Canadian farm businesses, leaving farmers without alternatives and facing high carbon tax bills for essential farm activities.
Source : OFA