Read CFA’s submission for the 2021 Federal Budget
Several consultations were undertaken during the lead up to the 2021 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:
Recommendation 1: Kick-starting Canada’s economic recovery:
- Enhance risk management support: That the government continue to support the proposed enhancements to the AgriStability program and implement programming to respond to depopulation events that arise due to processing plant shut downs.
- Secure critical food infrastructure: That the government invest in the development of more Canadian food processing facilities, including the advent of a temporary refundable tax credit for food and beverage manufacturers to maintain operations and encourage continued investment.
- Buy Canadian Campaign launch: That the government reallocate underutilized AgriMarketing program dollars to implement a Buy Canadian campaign for Canadian retail channels, and engage exporters to identify and address key export opportunities. Continue working with Canada’s supply management producers on programs that will mitigate losses from recent trade agreements, and commence discussions on assessing the impacts of CUSMA.
Recommendation 2: Leveraging agriculture’s environmental contributions:
- Establish additional environmental revenue streams: Government must provide support to ensure that credit programs under the Clean Fuel Standard and Greenhous Gas Pollution Offset Program roll-out as soon as possible. Support includes funding programs to help farms make the investment needed to participate in these programs the moment they start. Funding is also needed to incentivize the provision of additional ecological goods and services such as soil erosion control and flood management.
- Provide relief for grain drying and livestock barn heating: That the government expand the list of qualifying farming fuels under the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (GGPPA) to explicitly include marketable natural gas, propane or a prescribed type of fuel, while revising the definition of eligible farming machinery to extend this exemption to grain drying and livestock barn heating.
- Support regulatory efficiency and competitiveness: That the government provides support to ensure that the upcoming Canada Water Agency has a designated agriculture unit to coordinate with the necessary departments and agency on matters of runoff prevention and monitoring of water data for pest control products.
Recommendation 3 – Building greater resilience in Canada’s food system:
- Invest in an agri-food workforce and automation strategy: That the government invests in priority areas to reduce job vacancies through career promotion, improve skills training opportunities for workers, support human resource management training/certification, and support commercialization of labour-saving technologies.
- Develop a rural digital infrastructure strategy: That the government convene key stakeholders around clear, short-term connectivity and affordability targets for digital infrastructure, to build a foundation for long-term vibrancy in rural Canada.
- Facilitate the smooth and efficient transfer of family farms: That the government amend Section 84.1 of the Income Tax Act to remove disincentives facing small family businesses and family farms when looking to transfer their businesses to the next generation.