Read CFA’s submission for the 2019 Federal Budget
Several consultations were undertaken during the lead up to the 2019 Federal Budget to gather recommendations on how federal dollars should be spent. CFA submitted a Pre-Budget submission to help inform the budget process.
Read the submission here.
Advocacy Campaign
CFA released the recommendations below in order to help unify the message being sent to the government from farmers across the country. The recommendations were prepared based on input from CFA members. Members were urged to bring up these recommendations during any opportunities they had to engage with their MPs.
Key Recommendations
CFA outlined the following key recommendations in the Pre-Budget Submission:
Streamline regulations:
- Expand the federal regulatory modernization initiative looking at the cumulative impact of regulatory burdens from all government departments and agencies.
- Benchmark internationally and explore innovative approaches.
Enhance competitiveness:
- Take action to help offset US tax reforms, through steps such as: instituting a 100% first‐year deductibility on farm equipment and ensuring farmers can access the Small Business Deduction on investments.
- Develop a rural infrastructure strategy that introduces long‐term, predictable funding with provisions addressing the full range of rural and agricultural infrastructure needs.
Address labour shortages:
- Implement flexible immigration policies recognizing the unique skills required in agriculture and prioritize permanent residency for in‐demand farm workers employed in year‐round jobs.
- Invest resources to improve Temporary Foreign Worker Program services and foster compliance.
Strengthen economic growth:
- Create contingency plans to support farmers faced with trade uncertainty.
- Further invest in regulatory agencies (CFIA, PMRA, CBSA, CTA) to provide agri‐food businesses the services required to truly access international and domestic markets.
Mitigate trade concessions:
- Develop and fund programs to support CPTPP‐ and CETA‐impacted producers in supply‐managed sectors.
- Invest in regulatory cooperation, as outlined in CETA Chapter 21, and create systems to monitor and enforce product standards in Canada.
Background: Recap of the 2018 Federal Budget
The federal government tabled the 2018 Federal budget on February 27. CFA noted a distinct lack of agriculture content in the budget, and stated that it was underwhelmed by the budget in a media statement. While CFA was assured that further developments supporting agriculture were on the way, they continued to work with the government to ensure that proper support is given to the agriculture industry in order to meet the ambitious growth target of increasing exports to $75 billion by 2020 which was set in the 2017 Federal Budget.