The elephant sneezed
Pierre Elliott Trudeau once noted that living next to the United States is “like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, one is affected by every twitch...
Where is Agriculture
This past January, the Government of Canada announced its “Team Canada” missions to the U.S., to promote Canadian exports in advance of the upcoming renegotiation of the Canada – U.S...
Regulatory Competitiveness
Research shows that one of the fastest ways of boring someone to tears is mentioning the words “regulatory competitiveness.” It is, however, a critical topic, especially now when accessing...
Part of the solution
It is not your great-granddaddy’s farm anymore. While some may have nostalgia for the old farm with a little red barn that housed a few chickens, a couple of pigs, and a dairy cow, it is better ...
Hard to be green while in the red
I did not come up with the line “hard to be green while in the red”, but I wish I had. It is a succinct phrase describing one of the most challenging policy aspects of sustainability. It i...
Government in an uncertain world
What should farmers be asking of governments? This is an especially relevant question for producers in Manitoba who are getting to know the new government led by Premier Kinew. Farmers and their repre...
Farmers political engagement matters
I have a message for every farmer in Manitoba, no matter what crop they grow or type of animals under their care - now is the time to engage with all local candidates. Governance matters. On October 3...
Thickening Borders
The international agricultural landscape is witnessing a troubling trend towards protectionism. In past eras, protectionism was enabled through prohibitive tariffs that blocked trade. World Trade Orga...
Carrot, not the stick
There are two ways to get a horse to carry a heavy load. You can hit it with a big stick, or you can provide a reward for work well done. Think of agriculture as the horse, and governments’ sust...
Election campaign has begun
Sometime before October 24th, Manitobans will go to the polls to elect the next provincial government. While we don’t know the election date, the campaign has already begun, or at least, it shou...
2023 - Year of Risk Management
"Good riddance” is the most common response I hear to the passing of 2022. It was a year of uncertainty. We saw disruptions to supply chains, reverberations from COVID-19, the war in Ukraine imp...
New trade priorities
COVID-19 has caused the word pivot to be overused and abused, but I am going to use it again anyways. It is time for a significant trade policy pivot from the Government of Canada to actively counter ...