Farmers organize tractor rally to protest carbon tax hike

Ontario farmers led a tractor procession from Kawartha Lakes to Whitby earlier this month on April 9 to protest the recent increase to the carbon tax.

Read Also

Survey shows Ontario farmers confident in future

Despite concerns about inflation, high interest rates, tax increases and geopolitical conflicts, the majority of Ontario farmers remain optimistic for…

They delivered letters to Liberal MPs Ryan Turnbull, Mark Holland and Jennifer O’Connell in which they expressed dismay about the increase, which raised carbon prices to $80 per tonne from $60 on April 1.

Why it matters: Farmers and commodity groups say the carbon tax reduces income and increases food prices.

Co-organizer and Lindsay-area seed farmer Joe Hickson said commodity groups and representative organizations voiced their opposition to the hike.

“We found out on April 1 that their messages have definitely gone on deaf ears, so it’s time for the grassroots farmers to step up for two reasons,” said Hickson.

The first is to show that “we are capable of doing it. The other reason for doing it was to show our representatives that if they need support to help carry the message, that we’re prepared to step up and back them up.”

The group began the tractor convoy in Manilla before heading south on Highway 12 toward Whitby.
Dairy farmer and co-organizer Bruce McKeowan said he considered the event a success.

“You would think we might get more negative reaction, but it was 99 per cent at least positive reaction from the public, the traffic, so that’s a big win.”

The two men said two of the three MPs’ offices were locked when protestors arrived.

A representative from Turnbull’s office told Farmtario via email that the policy of keeping doors locked has been in place since 2021 to protect employees. Turnbull was not present but “he is happy to meet with any constituent or stakeholder regarding carbon pricing or any other issue.”

In the letter addressed to Turnbull, McKeowan wrote that “the carbon tax is only adding to (the) desperate situation” of a rising cost of living. It also alleges the tax is responsible for Canadian agriculture falling behind on the world stage.

“The carbon tax is making it more difficult for farmers to be competitive both locally and in world markets and to compete against imports from countries not subject to a carbon tax,” the letter reads.

“The federal government should support carbon tax exemptions rather than imposing further increases especially on primary production agriculture, given the accumulation of costs to the end user.”

Similar protests have arisen in Europe, where farmers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland have voiced discontent with agricultural policies. McKeowan said he views those demonstrations as a sign that protests can create change.

“It has been encouraging to see that in Europe where they made the protests, they did have some impacts.”

For example, protests led the French government to drop its plan to reduce subsidies on agricultural diesel.

McKeowan said protesters should be seen as looking ahead rather than complaining.

“This is to do with the future, as we see it, if policies like this keep coming down and when times aren’t so good for (the) future and the next generations.”

Notice of the rally alluded to “ramping up” if necessary. Hickson said scheduling another rally could depend on what action the government does or does not take.

“I don’t think there’ll be a rally immediately, no, because remember, our bread and butter is farmers. We have to put a crop in the ground.”

He thinks there will be more protests if current trends continue.

“To to say whether there’d be another rally, if they keep digging deeper into your pockets, you can guarantee there’s going to be another rally.”