The 2017 Federal Budget was tabled in Parliament on Mar. 22, 2017. Read our news release for highlights.
Pre-budget consultations
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance held its pre-budget consultations late last year, and CFA made two submissions outlining our members’ shared priorities. Information about the committee’s submission guidelines and themes are available here.
CFA’s Pre-Budget Submission outlines four key priority areas, encouraging policies and investments that:
- Create a tax policy environment that is conducive to sustainable growth for family farms and that creates opportunities for new entrants
- Support the development and adoption of clean technology and invest in agricultural innovation
- Establish a broad-based market access and infrastructure strategy to capitalize on emerging market opportunities in Canadian agriculture
- Modernize Canada’s internal trade system
A separate document, CFA’s Rural Policy Committee Submission, focused on rural development issues, highlighting the need for rural Canada to receive adequate attention in future infrastructure spending. CFA also emphasized the need for improved rural broadband access, increased basic internet standards, and a long-term, predictable funding mechanism for ongoing rural broadband internet deployment.
In addition, CFA noted the significant vacancies in agriculture and the rural employment opportunities that need to be addressed through improved access to international workers, both on a seasonal and permanent basis. This included specific focus on the need for improved pathways to permanent residency for agricultural workers currently deemed ‘low skilled’ and therefore excluded from eligibility