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Policy and politics: Infrastructure, drainage costs should not be downloaded onto farmers, says OFA

With the upcoming Canadian federal election underway and voting to take place next month, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has released outlined priorities it believes should be addressed at a federal level.

With agriculture being a shared file between provincial and federal governments, whoever is voted prime minister on April 28 will have to work closely with the recently re-elected Doug Ford and his majority Progressive Conservative government. Ford currently boasts a publicly positive relationship with new/incumbent prime minister Mark Carney, although the rapidly changing political landscape means the outcome of the election is far from guaranteed. Whether Carney’s Liberals or Pierre Pollievre’s Conservatives form government, they will have to work with agricultural ministries across various provinces, all of which are currently facing unique challenges.

Among the OFA’s top priorities are, naturally, trade issues and bolstering support for the agri-food sector, a sentiment shared by many other provinces. “Amid ongoing tariff uncertainty, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture is urging federal election candidates to take clear and decisive stances on critical issues affecting farm businesses, economic competitiveness and food security,” the association’s news release red.

“Protecting our domestic food supply and ensuring the sustainability and prosperity of our farming businesses has to be a priority for the federal government,” says Drew Spoelstra, president of the OFA, in a statement. “This is a pivotal time for Canada and for our sector and it’s important for candidates of all parties, whether rural or urban, to be aware of the strategic importance of food and farming to our economy, our communities and our country.”

Specific asks also include a permanent increase to the interest-free portion of the Advanced Payments Program to $350,000 per year, and improvements to the AgriStability program that will make it easier for farmers to access support; they are also requesting a permanent scrapping of the carbon tax and to ensure consistent access to labor across planting, production, quality control, processing, distribution and research.

Another issue addressed numerous times in recent months by the OFA is the downloading of infrastructure and drainage costs onto landowners from railways.

Federally regulated rail companies are, according to the OFA, downloading infrastructure maintenance and safety upgrade costs onto farmers and landowners in the areas of drainage and private rail crossings. “The federal government must prevent railways from downloading these cost-prohibitive expenses onto farmers and landowners,” the OFA wrote.

To view OFA’s complete election priorities summary, click here.

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