Only days after Trudeau was in the Okanagan, BC on a photo shoot promoting farming and agriculture, Trudeau announces that he has decided to move forward with his cap on nitrogen emissions by reducing fertilizer use, even as provincial Agriculture Ministers beg him to stop.
Discontent with left-wing policy is triggering massive protests all over the world
Agriculture ministers from several provinces say they’re concerned about the federal government’s plan to reduce fertilizer emissions in the name of climate change at a time when global food security is an issue.
A three-day meeting of federal, provincial, and territorial ministers concluded in Saskatoon on July 22 with Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Ontario expressing disappointment over the Liberals’ intent to impose fertilizer emissions reduction targets on Canadian farmers.
With a global food crisis looming, does Justin Trudeau really believe restricting the use of fertilizer is the right thing to do?
As Premier, I would defend Alberta farmers & use every tool at our disposal to fight these egregious federal policies.#ucpldr https://t.co/LPuUKFRaIJ pic.twitter.com/0P5czXoYE5— Travis Toews (@TravisToewsAB) July 24, 2022
“We’re really concerned with this arbitrary goal,” said Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit in a joint statement with his counterpart in Alberta, Nate Horner. “The Trudeau government has apparently moved on from their attack on the oil and gas industry and set their sights on Saskatchewan farmers.”
According to Alberta Agriculture Minister Nate Horner, “This has been the most expensive crop anyone has put in, following a very difficult year on the prairies. The world is looking for Canada to increase production and be a solution to global food shortages. The Federal government needs to display that they understand this. They owe it to our producers.”
We can’t let this happen here. We need to stand with our Canadian farm families #cdnag #cdnpoli #agriculture pic.twitter.com/bTspkSTTB3
— John Barlow (@JohnBarlowMP) July 15, 2022
Fertilizer prices are a major input cost for already low-margin cash crop operations. A 35 per cent hike from this tariff — when combined with farmers’ already-inflated energy and gasoline bills — puts a lot of upward pressure on commodity prices.
That’s why Koeslag’s organization — along with the Grain Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Canola Growers, the Atlantic Grains Council, Les Producteurs de Grains du Quebec, a half-dozen other farm groups from Eastern Canada and fertilizer industry representatives — called on the federal government again this week to reconsider.
Manitoba farmers are disappointed that their premier haven’t responded to Trudeau’s actions.
Please share widely pic.twitter.com/OYRbwOprqy
— Kevin Friesen (@Tobakev1) July 24, 2022
The federal government is looking to impose a requirement to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizers saying it is a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. While the Trudeau government says they want a 30% reduction in emissions, not fertilizer, farm producer groups say that at this point, reducing nitrous oxide emissions can’t be done without reducing fertilizer use.