Sustainability

Canola farmers have a long history of adopting innovative practices that improve the sustainability of their operations – their farms and future farm generations depend on it.

Farmers will play a meaningful role in Canada’s sustainable future, while continuing to feed and fuel the world. They understand that the health of their land is linked to the success of their farm, and that’s why they continually adopt and invest in innovative farming practices.

But to realize agriculture’s full contribution, farmers must be at the table when sustainability policies, programs, and targets are being developed.

CCGA’s policy development efforts in sustainability currently focus on the following:

Agriculture Carbon Alliance and Bill C-234

CCGA is a founding member of the ACA and co-chair of the Agriculture Carbon Alliance (ACA), a national coalition of 15 farm organizations collectively representing more than 190,000 farm businesses. ACA is committed to meaningful dialogue with government and building consensus on policy solutions that support the agriculture sector around carbon pricing, offsets and more.

ACA is the leader in advocating for the passage of Bill C-234, An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act. Bill C-234 seeks to exempt the on-farm use of natural gas and propane from carbon pricing, for necessary practices like grain drying, heating and cooling livestock barns and greenhouses, steam flaking and irrigation. Once passed, the legislation would provide significant financial relief to farmers and would free up working capital to invest in environmental innovations and allow them to remain competitive and profitable.

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Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops

CCGA is a founding member of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops, a national initiative dedicated to advancing sustainable production practices and outcomes across Canada’s grain sector. CCGA is a member of the Steering Committee and participates in roundtable meetings to add a canola lens to the discussions and ensure that the good news story of canola farmers is being told.

Biodiversity

Farmers are essential to preserving and supporting biodiversity and must be recognized as vital partners in this effort. Effective policies and programs should involve farmers from the beginning and focus on science-driven, outcome-oriented approaches.

Continued investment in research, innovation, and technology is key to achieving biodiversity objectives while maintaining farm competitiveness. It’s crucial to value the ecological goods and services farmers provide to ensure that environmental stewardship and agricultural viability go hand in hand.