By Bruce Buttar, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture 
​

Bill C-246, the Modernizing Animal Protection Act, is set for second reading and debate on September 28. When it comes to a vote on October 6, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture urges all MPs to vote against Bill C-246.
OFA stands together with many other organizations for a stronger voice against this faulty bill and the serious consequences it will have for animal agriculture and the industry’s contribution to the Canadian economy.
The bill seeks to prohibit the practice of shark finning which is already illegal in Canada, address illegal puppy mills, and prohibit the use of cat and dog fur in textiles. That’s clearly not the part of the bill that OFA is concerned about. These issues should be prohibited and OFA fully supports that intent.
But Bill C-246 doesn’t stop there. It also includes a series of amendments to the Criminal Code that, if passed, could seriously impact agricultural activities in Canada.
OFA is against the amendments proposed in Bill C-246 that stand to impact animal agriculture. Here are some of our main concerns:

• Bill C-246 puts the onus on the defendant to prove innocence, undermining the presumption of innocence.
• The bill removes current protections for legal activities including livestock farming, hunting, fishing, medical research and religion-based practices.
• The bill risks criminalizing farming, hunting and other activities that are currently legal, and lowers the standard to lay criminal charges for lawful behaviour.
• If passed, amendments to Bill C-246 will be used to test legal applications in costly court cases, which is what the animal rights community has promised to do when similar bills were unsuccessfully put forward.
• The Bill doesn’t address enforcement – something that everyone agrees is a fundamental problem when applying animal protection laws.

If Bill C-246 simply addressed the issues of shark finning, puppy mills and pet fur in textiles, OFA would support it. Our strong opposition to this bill stems from the substantial, proposed amendments that have the very real potential to negatively impact Canadian farmers and others engaged in legal, lawful activities that contribute in a big way to the Canadian economy.
Over the last 15 or more years, several similar bills to Bill C-246 have been introduced in parliament. None of those bills survived as they didn’t reflect the will of parliament. OFA members need to call their MP to ensure that C-246 suffers the same fate.
The full position statement of OFA on Bill C-246 is available at ofa.on.ca/issues under “farm animal care”.
 
For more information, contact:
 
Bruce Buttar
Director
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
905-373-6175
 
Neil Currie
General Manager
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883 

By Keith Currie, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture 
​

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) watched as the Governor General delivered a new throne speech on September 12 – a “reset” of the Liberal government’s direction for the next two years.
Throne speeches are, by nature, very general overviews of the new direction of the government.  It was encouraging, therefore, to see specific references to food and farming and, in particular the acknowledgement that electricity rates are too high.
It’s no surprise the Liberals stayed steady on the commitment to building Ontario up through job creation and economic growth. The notion of new job skills training to help build the economy is good news for the agri-food sector, and has opportunities to feed into the overall growth challenge the Premier set for our sector at the beginning of this government’s mandate.
OFA is pleased to see the government’s continued commitment to infrastructure improvements. We’ll be monitoring the roll out for rural Ontario.
We all know electricity prices are stifling economic growth, and to hear the government recognize that rising costs are hurting household budgets across Ontario is a step in the right direction. The proposed 8% electricity rebate and adjustments to the Rural and Remote Rate Protection Plan to add up to 20% will at least help lower farm electricity bills in the short term. However, this initiative is about giving us back some of our own tax dollars and may further complicate balancing the provincial budget. 
We know farming and the food sector rely on competitive energy, so we need real programs and policies in place to address the entire energy complex. For farming and rural Ontario, the real solution lies in building the infrastructure needed for natural gas across rural Ontario. We will continue to remind government about the $1 billion per year savings in rural energy costs that would be realized if natural gas was readily available.
The speech reports that the Red Tape Challenge is continuing to help businesses save time and money, but the plan for reducing unnecessary regulations is unproven for the agri-food sector as consultations are ongoing. OFA will continue advocating for the existing Open for Business initiative that is designed to reduce red tape for farming businesses.
Other than its new focus on high electricity costs, the government did not signal any big directional changes or promises in the throne speech. This reset for the Liberal government doesn’t significantly alter our direction. OFA will continue to advocate on the key issues that impact the ability of Ontario’s agri-food sector to thrive. We will work to secure rural infrastructure improvement, competitive energy rates, a positive outcome for farming under the pending Cap and Trade system, and generally watching closely for the opportunities where our members can grow their farm businesses.  

For more information, contact
 Keith Currie
Vice President
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
705-441-3362
 
Neil Currie
General Manager
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883 
 

By Peggy Brekveld, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture 
​

It’s back to business for Ontario MPPs as they begin the fall session ‪on September 12. The summer break provided plenty of opportunities for Ontario politicians to travel Ontario’s countryside, to enjoy the sights, and to brush up on the issues facing farmers and rural Ontario.
Anyone driving through rural Ontario this summer would have seen the impacts of the hot, dry weather on the province’s field crops. I wonder if rural visitors also noticed the inconsistency in staying connected to the internet. Internet is something rural residents and farmers desperately need to conduct and grow their businesses.
Rough roads and closed bridges are also typically encountered on a trip through Ontario’s countryside. This may have been a mild inconvenience for summer visitors, but the lack of investment and maintenance to rural roads and bridges is becoming alarmingly normal in rural Ontario.
Farms and rural businesses depend on modern infrastructure and continued investments to grow and prosper. This includes the traditional roads and bridges, and extends to broadband and natural gas infrastructure to keep our businesses in touch and competitive. OFA applauds the previous government announcements on these issues. We will continue our lobbying efforts during this fall legislature session, advising on the roll out of the infrastructure investment across rural Ontario.
With the drought-like growing season, climate change is also indirectly on the minds of farmers. From a political perspective, agriculture is part of the climate change solution. Ontario farmers are already taking measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and OFA will continue advocating for agriculture’s inclusion in the new Cap and Trade system which comes into effect in January 2017. OFA is also working with commodity organizations to determine agriculture’s opportunities in the Climate Change Action Plan. OFA has been a strong advocate for recognizing agriculture as contributing to climate change solutions.
OFA’s role in advocating for our members also includes staying on top of emerging issues and concerns.
Our work this fall will include participation in the development of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affair’s new Agricultural Soil Health and Conservation Strategy. As part of the multi stakeholder working group, OFA will participate in collecting research and data on soil health and conservation. The goal is to develop a strategy that will help grow and sustain Ontario’s agriculture sector, protect the environment and address climate change.
This fall, OFA will also be participating in the Changing Workplaces Review. This review of the changing nature of the workplace, aims to amend some legislation and protect workers, all the while supporting business in today’s economy. Ontario’s farm sector employs 158,000 in the province. It’s important these employers and workers are fairly represented, and OFA will be participating in the process.
It’s sure to be a busy fall on the farm and at Queen’s Park. OFA continues to advocate for our members’ issues and concerns as they relate to the business of farming and living in rural Ontario. We’ll keep members informed as we work with MPPs and policy advisors.
 

For more information, contact:
 
Peggy Brekveld
Vice President
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
807-935-2154
 
Neil Currie
General Manager
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883