Agriculture
Why Are Governments Attacking Farmers?
To approach the massive protests in Germany, especially for those who’ve heard very little about this massive upheaval, it might help to set up the context.
2024 is already proving to be a year of disruption and protest. 64 countries representing half of all people on the planet will be voting in national elections. Major elections will take place not just in the United States, but in the European Union, Russia, and in the world’s most populous democracy India.
Those conversations you’ve been having with only your most trusted cohorts, where you wonder how former friends and people you admire have become ideological combatants; are taking place all around the globe. We find ourselves identifying more and more people as either “far left” or “far right”. Even though we haven’t changed the way we think, we find we’ve also been identified by others as slipping into one of these “far” groups. Our sense of community and family are suffering and may not survive.
Why is this happening?
It comes down to where we choose to get information.
If you haven’t moved away from the legacy media yet, you’re far more likely to be disturbed by the growing numbers on the “far right”. You simply can’t understand how so many people you know have fallen victim to conspiracy theories and populist leaders who are trying to take the reigns of power.
If you have moved on to learn about the world through long form podcasts and some of the many new information platforms that have emerged, you’ll most likely be swayed by reams of information ignored by legacy media.
For tens of millions this started with the pandemic. A few months into 2020, podcasters and information sites began to notice that the average age of those dying from covid was older than normal life expectancy, that 86% of those who died were obese, that doctors around the world were successfully treating covid with cheap, repurposed drugs, and that masking, social distancing, lockdowns, and eventually covid vaccines made almost no impact on the spread of covid.
People in this camp tried to persuade those close to them that covid wasn’t as dangerous as they were lead to believe. Many conversations became emotional and annoying. One one side, raised voices of those desperate to share information. On the other side, perfectly intelligent people, informed by legacy media who had heard none of these things. Often they were told the opposite. A great example is how legacy media labelled one of the safest, cheapest and most effective drugs in world history (the developers won the Nobel Prize for inventing ivermectin) as ‘horse de-wormer’.
New media and long form podcasters have found the situation surrounding covid is the same for most other urgent situations. The inflation an energy crisis, the Russian attack of Ukraine, global warming (or climate change) and open border policies have only widened the information gap.
One side sees little reason to slow the movement of millions, or to slow the printing of money by governments unconcerned about sinking much, much further into debt. For this group the most important battles in the world are the fight to reduce carbon emissions and the war against Russia.
The other side sees a self inflicted inflation and energy crisis, a refusal to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, and a massive influx of immigrants beginning to cause societal upheaval.
As elections creep closer, the information gap is growing and the stakes are getting higher.
What does all this disruption and disunity have to do with massive demonstrations by German farmers? If you are a legacy media follower there is no connection. Legacy media outlets explain away this nation wide protest as farmers fighting against diesel fuel subsidies. By now, you should at least want to know what the podcasters and new media are reporting. Jordan Peterson is in that camp.
Last week, the world famous Canadian podcaster spoke with German farmer Anthony Lee and journalist Eva Vlaardingerbroek.
Eva Vlaardingerbroek is a Dutch journalist and Anthony Lee has become outspoken in recent months as he followed news of farmers struggling all across Europe. In the following videos (especially the longer one) the cause of these massive and spreading demonstrations will be explained by Eva, a new information reporter, and Anthony, a German farmer.
First a shorter video and for those with some more time their entire 100 minute long conversation.
From the YouTube channel of Jordan Peterson
A longer discussion on the ongoing farmers’ protest, the war on efficient agriculture, and net-zero goals creating excess electric vehicles while cutting off the generation of power.
This episode was recorded on January 15th, 2023
Dr. Peterson’s extensive catalog is available now on DailyWire+: https://bit.ly/3KrWbS8
Agriculture
Sweeping ‘pandemic prevention’ bill would give Trudeau government ability to regulate meat production
From LifeSiteNews
Bill C-293, ‘An Act respecting pandemic prevention and preparedness,’ gives sweeping powers to the federal government in the event of a crisis, including the ability to regulate meat production.
The Trudeau Liberals’ “pandemic prevention and preparedness” bill is set to become law despite concerns raised by Conservative senators that the sweeping powers it gives government, particularly over agriculture, have many concerned.
Bill C-293, or “An Act respecting pandemic prevention and preparedness,” is soon to pass its second reading in the Senate, which all but guarantees it will become law. Last Tuesday in the Senate, Conservative senators’ calls for caution on the bill seemed to fall on deaf ears.
“Being from Saskatchewan I have heard from many farmers who are very concerned about this bill. Now we hear quite a short second reading speech that doesn’t really address some of those major concerns they have about the promotion of alternative proteins and about the phase-out, as Senator Plett was saying, of some of their very livelihoods,” said Conservative Senator Denise Batters during debate of the bill.
Batters asked one of the bill’s proponents, Senator Marie-Françoise Mégie, how they will “alleviate those concerns for them other than telling them that they can come to committee, perhaps — if the committee invites them — and have their say there so that they don’t have to worry about their livelihoods being threatened?”
In response, Mégie replied, “We have to invite the right witnesses and those who will speak about their industry, what they are doing and their concerns. Then we can find solutions with them, and we will do a thorough analysis of the issue. This was done intentionally, and I can provide all these details later. If I shared these details now, I would have to propose solutions myself and I do not have those solutions. I purposely did not present them.”
Bill C-293 was introduced to the House of Commons in the summer of 2022 by Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. The House later passed the bill in June of 2024 with support from the Liberals and NDP (New Democratic Party), with the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois opposing it.
Bill C-293 would amend the Department of Health Act to allow the minister of health to appoint a “National pandemic prevention and preparedness coordinator from among the officials of the Public Health Agency of Canada to coordinate the activities under the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act.”
It would also, as reported by LifeSiteNews, allow the government to mandate industry help it in procuring products relevant to “pandemic preparedness, including vaccines, testing equipment and personal protective equipment, and the measures that the Minister of Industry intends to take to address any supply chain gaps identified.”
A close look at this bill shows that, if it becomes law, it would allow the government via officials of the Public Health Agency of Canada, after consulting the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and of Industry and provincial governments, to “regulate commercial activities that can contribute to pandemic risk, including industrial animal agriculture.”
Text from the bill also states that the government would be able to “promote commercial activities that can help reduce pandemic risk,” which includes the “production of alternative proteins, and phase out commercial activities that disproportionately contribute to pandemic risk, including activities that involve high-risk species.”
The bill has been blasted by the Alberta government, who warned that it could “mandate the consumption of vegetable proteins by Canadians” as well as allow the “the federal government to tell Canadians what they can eat.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Trudeau government has funded companies that produce food made from bugs. The World Economic Forum, a globalist group with links to the Trudeau government, has as part of its Great Reset agenda the promotion of “alternative” proteins such as insects to replace or minimize the consumption of beef, pork, and other meats that they say have high “carbon” footprints.
Trudeau’s current environmental goals are in lockstep with the United Nations’ “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and include phasing out coal-fired power plants, reducing fertilizer usage, and curbing natural gas use over the coming decades, as well as curbing red meat and dairy consumption.
Agriculture
Time to End Supply Management
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
According to a 2021 report from the Montreal Economic Institute, Canadian families pay up to $600 more per year on dairy products alone due to supply management.
The New Democrats and the Liberals have pledged to tackle inflation, curb price gouging, and address child poverty. Leaders like Jagmeet Singh have railed against corporate greed while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has introduced programs claiming to feed your children.
But despite these announcements, food affordability remains a serious problem in Canada. If our political leaders are truly committed to making nutritious food accessible for all Canadians, they must confront the largely ignored factor: Canada’s supply management system.
Supply Management Hurts Families
Supply management, which governs the production and pricing of dairy, eggs, and poultry in Canada, was designed to stabilize farmers’ incomes. However, it now acts as an unnecessary burden on consumers, artificially inflating the cost of essential food items. Farmers are given strict quotas on how much they can produce, and sky-high tariffs—often more than 200%—are imposed on imports.
This creates a closed market that keeps prices far higher than in a free-market system. According to a 2021 report from the Montreal Economic Institute, Canadian families pay up to $600 more per year on dairy products alone due to supply management. This is no small sum to households already feeling the pinch.
To put it in perspective, a litre of milk in Canada costs between $1.50-$2.50, compared to USD 1.00 (around $1.35 CAD) in the United States, where such market controls don’t exist. The cost of other staples, such as eggs and chicken, follows the same pattern, with Canadians paying significantly more than their American counterparts.
These artificially high prices disproportionately affect families struggling. As inflation continues to drive up the cost of housing, fuel, and other essentials, paying extra for basic food becomes the tipping point between having three meals a day or skipping meals to cover rent or bills.
The Conservative Opportunity: Free Markets and Family Values
The Conservative Party has historically championed free markets and policies promoting family well-being, but they also support the food cartels.
In a genuinely free market, prices are determined by supply and demand, leading to lower consumer costs and more production efficiency. Ending supply management would achieve both goals.
While Conservatives have long supported free markets, they have been reluctant to challenge supply management, largely due to political concerns in Quebec, where the system is popular among producers. Being pro-trade and supporting supply management are incongruous political positions.
However, with the Conservatives drawing closer to forming government, potentially without significant electoral support from Quebec, now is the time for a strategic shift. Shedding the protectionist policies would be a bold and forward-thinking move to distinguish the party as serious about free markets and family welfare.
It would also send a powerful message to voters across the country, particularly in regions where food insecurity is rising. Conservatives could frame the policy change as a direct effort to reduce food prices, ease the burden on low-income families, and protect Canadian consumers from the high costs supply management imposes.
The Ethical Case: Dumping Food While Canadians Go Hungry
Perhaps the most shocking aspect of supply management is the appalling waste it produces. To keep prices high, in 2023 alone, tens of millions of litres of milk were discarded—wasted food that could have gone to Canadians in need. This is an unconscionable practice in a country where nearly 2 million people rely on food banks to survive. How can wasting food while so many families struggle to afford basic groceries be justified?
This waste flies in the face of compassion and fairness, and contradicts the principles of a free market.
The Bloc Quebecois’ Game
Given that the significant dairy industry in Quebec benefits immensely from supply management, the Bloc Quebecois is seeking to leverage the weakness of the Trudeau minority in exchange for a Bloc bill, Bill C-282, that would shield supply management from future changes. The Bloc Québécois Bill C-282 wants to amend the Trade and Development Act. Reportedly, it has support from all parties in Parliament.
One of the key setbacks is the restriction supply management places on open market access. It hinders the ability to fully embrace free trade agreements. A primary objectives of Bill C-282 is to prevent the Canadian government from making concessions in international trade agreements that could undermine the supply management system. This is particularly relevant in trade negotiations where foreign countries often seek increased access to Canada’s agricultural markets.
Consequently, this limits the potential for growth in agricultural exports. Central Canada benefits the most from supply management, and although its trade reverberations hurt everyone, they seem to hurt Western producers the most.
A Call to Action for All Parties
For New Democrats and Liberals, the solution to supporting families and children through food affordability lies in targeting alleged corporate greed and expanding social programs. But if they are serious about addressing child poverty and food insecurity, they would confront supply management. Likewise, for Conservatives, ending supply management is a natural extension of their free-market impetus and commitment to family values.
The time for change is now. Regardless of party, all political leaders should recognize that dismantling supply management would be a direct, meaningful step toward making food more affordable for all Canadians, as well as maximizing agricultural chances to expand Canada’s exports. With the rising cost of living pushing more families into food insecurity, we cannot afford to let outdated policies continue to inflate prices, immorally perpetuate waste, and curtail chances for greater growth in Agrifoods.
Dismantling supply management would offer tangible relief to millions of Canadian consumers, particularly low-income families. All other parties should start by killing Bill C-282.
Marco Navarro-Génie is the Vice President of Research at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
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