Submissions

In 1998 amendments were made to the Canada Labour Code, sponsored by Minister MacAulay, which prohibited the cessation of work among long-shore workers loading grain vessels during a strike or lockout. We recommend additional amendments to the Canada Labour Code which would result in long-shore workers continuing to provide services to all vessels in the event of a strike or lockout.

We urge the Government of Canada to consider the complexities of reducing plastic packaging within agriculture. Transitioning to alternative materials demands collaboration, flexibility, and an understanding of the industry. Government’s approach must consider the entire lifecycle of packaging, balancing cost, trade, compliance, food security, and consumer choices. By aligning with global standards and fostering innovation, we can create solutions that serve both the environment and our industry without compromising quality, accessibility, or affordability.

Requiring farmers to submit a UHT return, even when they are exempt from paying the tax, creates an unnecessary financial and administrative burden on farmers, without effectively achieving the stated objective of the UHT. Farmers have minimal involvement in the housing market, and the majority qualify for a UHT exemption. As such, we urge the government to exempt farmers from the requirement to file a UHT return, ensuring that they are not penalized for failing to do so.

CFA comments on the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) Legislative Review. CFA noted that Canadian agriculture and rural Canada should be priority areas for investment for the CIB, considering the bank’s key goals of funding green infrastructure and broadband for underserved communities.

CFA supports the Government of Canada pursuing a bilateral trade agreement with Ecuador, provided it results in outcomes that benefit all Canadian agriculture by maximizing profitable export opportunities such as, for example, refined beet sugar that is wholly obtained here in Canada, while ensuring trade rules that allow for the maintenance of an effective supply management system.

CFA is fully supportive of the use of incorporation by reference, which introduces the content of a document into a regulation without having to include the document’s full text in the regulation. By making it easier to update information, for example when a list of pests or requirements changes, industry is better positioned to provide timely support to producers across Canada.

To maintain critical supply chain functions during stoppages caused by strikes or collective bargaining processes, CFA recommends that the employer’s ability to re-assign existing non-unionized workers within a company, including management staff be maintained.