Senate vote for C-234 amendments Nov. 7

The Senate of Canada will be voting on whether to accept the amendments to Bill C-234 at 5:15 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

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The Senate committee for agriculture and forestry passed one amendment to Bill C-234 on Oct. 19. That cut fuel for barn and greenhouse heating from the proposed exemption.

In final committee deliberations on Oct. 24, an amendment that would make it more difficult to extend the bill’s sunset clause was defeated with a tied vote.

Both the Grain Farmers of Ontario and the Ontario Pork distributed news releases Monday Nov. 6 urging the Senate to pass Bill C-234, An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, as soon as possible.

In its release, the Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) said the organization has been asking for an exemption on fuel used to dry grain for over five years. “In those years, the price of carbon has continued to increase. It is currently at $65 a tonne and will go up to $170 a tonne by 2030. Bill C-234 would provide a much needed exemption for grain farmers who have no alternatives to dry their grain. Farmers are in their fields right now harvesting corn and they will need to be able to reasonably dry the corn to have it be viable for food and other products,” the GFO release said.

“The power to pass an exemption for grain drying is in the hands of the members of the Senate right now,” said Brendan Byrne, Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario. “We have reached out to each and every Senator to let them know what is at stake and are asking our farmer-members to reach out too. This is go time.”

Ontario Pork said in its release the carbon tax “has added financial strain, increasing the cost of production without reducing emissions” and “affects the competitiveness of the pork sector in both domestic and international markets. Canadian farmers face hurdles that producers in other jurisdictions do not. This can potentially diminish the attractiveness of Canadian pork products on the world stage.”

If the amended version of Bill C-234 is accepted, it will return to the House of Commons, where farm groups fear it will be stalled and dissolve upon the next federal election. If Senators vote against the amended version, the bill will go to the Senate for a third, and final reading.

Tune-in-live to watch the vote at https://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca at 5:15 EST on Tuesday, Nov. 7.