Committee
Consult the user guide
For assistance, please contact us
Consult the user guide
For assistance, please contact us
Add search criteria
Results: 1 - 15 of 37
View Warren Steinley Profile
CPC (SK)
That would make sense, because one of the comments you made was that sometimes you couldn't differentiate between natural gas going into a house and a grain dryer or a barn, and there is an instance where a natural gas line doesn't have its own meter that goes to a barn or a grain dryer, because many farms have different farmyards for their grain dryers and their house.
I was very surprised by that comment, because that just doesn't happen anymore. You can always tell what natural gas is going to be used for heating a home and heating a barn, drying grain or running an irrigation pump, so that was a bit surprising to me.
Mr. Parry, you've said many times that innovation is driven by carbon pricing or a price on carbon in agriculture. Do you believe that statement?
View Warren Steinley Profile
CPC (SK)
Okay, thanks. That's perfect.
I'd ask: Can you tell me the tax that was forced on farmers that led to the innovation of zero tillage?
Matt Parry
View Matt Parry Profile
Matt Parry
2021-05-04 16:23
A tax on farmers that led to zero tillage.... I don't believe there was a tax in that area.
View Warren Steinley Profile
CPC (SK)
Yes. That was an amazing innovation that led to great soil conservation and the ability of farmers to have better soil quality and more nutrients in the soil.
Mr. Parry, can you tell me the innovation that led to crop rotation for grazing for ranchers across Canada, and what tax led to that innovation?
Matt Parry
View Matt Parry Profile
Matt Parry
2021-05-04 16:23
It was done through official management practices and the sharing of information among farmers. I don't believe there was a tax involved in that, so—
View Warren Steinley Profile
CPC (SK)
I agree with you 100%. I think innovation and conversations through farmers and sharing data have led to amazing innovation in the agriculture sector. I put on the record that saying—and having very senior people in the Department of Agriculture say—that innovation is brought forward in agriculture by carbon pricing is something I think many people I represent and many people I know would have a difficult time believing is the only way to get to innovation.
I think that's what this bill is about, when you talk about it. You can't get innovation. I know we talked about how there might be innovative and new technologies for grain drying. There might be, but that's five to 10 years off. The reason, Mr. Parry, you couldn't mention one is because there isn't an innovation right now that can dry 50,000 bushel bins, other than natural gas or propane. We're a long ways off of that.
This bill Mr. Lawrence is proposing is that exemption to give farmers a chance to continue to do what they do well, because there are farmers in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba who pay tens of thousands of dollars on a carbon tax because of using grain dryers and irrigation pumps.
Mr. King, you talked about irrigation. My farm still has delivery. They have a propane tank, and that propane tank is delivered by a truck into the yard, and that tank runs a motor that pumps irrigation through the pipes. It's not just a pipeline. There are still cases where propane gets delivered for on-farm use. I think Mr. Lehoux would have many people who have propane delivered to heat barns in his riding of Beauce.
Those are just a couple of things I wanted to point out. Farming is an agribusiness in Saskatchewan and western Canada, and they're very big operations. These grain dryers are solid equipment, industrial equipment, that gets used to keep people fed, not only across Canada but around the world. I believe these farmers need this exemption to make sure they can continue to provide that good service.
My final question would be: When it comes to crop rotation—and I know you guys know this very well—it is one of the great innovations in agriculture that led to keeping nutrients in the soil. Once again, I'd ask Mr. Parry: Was there a tax brought forward that induced crop rotation practices by farmers across Canada?
Matt Parry
View Matt Parry Profile
Matt Parry
2021-05-04 16:26
I think you likely know the answer. There was no tax in that regard, but I would note that I don't think I ever said that carbon pollution pricing was the only tool, just that, in a number of circumstances, it can be efficient and effective in providing a price signal to promote innovation and the development of new technologies.
View Warren Steinley Profile
CPC (SK)
I appreciate that statement very much, and I know farmers are as innovative as they can be, because they know that their bottom line is very important. I know they do whatever they can to innovate, not only for the environment but for the bottom line and to ensure that their operation is successful now and for the next generation of farmers in Canada.
Thank you both very much for your time.
View Dave Epp Profile
CPC (ON)
Thank you, Mr. Lawrence.
Mr. Parry, I believe you said in your testimony that agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have been stable since 2005. What does that tell you about the rising production from agriculture since then? With rising greenhouse gas emissions from virtually every other segment of our society, what does that tell you about the innovation and environmental stewardship of the agricultural community?
Matt Parry
View Matt Parry Profile
Matt Parry
2021-05-04 16:41
It states that the sector has made significant progress in reducing the emissions intensity of production and in producing agricultural products more sustainably, with a lower greenhouse gas emissions content. It speaks to the innovative capacity and performance of the agricultural sector in Canada.
View Lyne Bessette Profile
Lib. (QC)
Thank you.
One of my colleagues asked the previous witnesses a question earlier. I'd like to hear your thoughts on it, to wrap up.
Do you know how other countries are transitioning to greener farm fuels? What does innovation in this sector look like around the world?
Serge Buy
View Serge Buy Profile
Serge Buy
2021-05-04 17:14
Another good question.
It depends on the country. In France and Germany, for example, many things are done to help producers make the transition. In particular, there's a great deal of funding for producers. This isn't the case in Canada. We aren't at the same level. In those countries, given the subsidies that they receive, farmers can afford to adopt these extremely expensive technologies. Most farmers couldn't afford to do so otherwise.
However, our environmental concerns may not be shared by other countries, such as Russia or Brazil, which still compete with us. Our farmers, if they want to sell their grain, must be able to compete with these types of countries.
That's why I'm saying that we must really pay attention to our actions. As the saying goes, it's better not to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
View Tim Louis Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you. I appreciate that.
I'll move to Ms. Turcotte. You mentioned Triple Green in Manitoba. They use a biodrying air system, which is a nascent technology, but it's scaling up quickly because propane is 82% water and natural gas is 66% water, so that moisture turns into water vapour and that's being put into the grain dryers and the grain. By making the heat source dry, it creates efficiency. Their motto is “solutions that save money”.
This technology is growing and it's moving quickly and scaling, but there's also a role for the private sector. Can you explain a bit about the competitive advantages of companies like this that would drive innovations, not only with our government making investments but the private sector also investing.
Isabelle Turcotte
View Isabelle Turcotte Profile
Isabelle Turcotte
2021-04-29 16:20
Yes, absolutely. More than anything, companies need policy certainty when [Technical difficulty—Editor] their investment portfolios. That requires a [Technical difficulty—Editor] on the price signal. It requires a clearly communicated [Technical difficulty—Editor] increasing price on carbon.
It bears noting that the private sector or the corporate world has gone through flip-flops on carbon pricing, including Alberta and Ontario most notably. In these provinces we're seeing a private sector that is hesitant and is struggling to get [Technical difficulty—Editor] from headquarters, which are not in Canada because they were uncertain about where Canada was going on carbon pricing.
It is really important that we send a strong message to these companies that Canada is a place to invest, to produce your low-carbon products and to be a leader in innovation.
Results: 1 - 15 of 37 | Page: 1 of 3

1
2
3
>
>|
Export As: XML CSV RSS

For more data options, please see Open Data