By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture sector continues push for unamended passing of carbon tax exemption bill for farmers

Jan 24, 2024 | 4:45 PM

Farm groups are continuing their pressure on Parliament to uphold Bill C-234.

The Agriculture Carbon Alliance (ACA) urged MPs to reject the proposed Senate amendments and uphold the bill in its original form as was passed by the House of Commons in March 2023.

After prolonged procedural hurdles, including reintroducing previously defeated amendments and frequent adjournments, the Senate narrowly passed earlier rejected amendments to the bill, despite prior rejections by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food and the entire Senate at report stage.

ACA co-chair Dave Carey said the bill now returns to the House of Commons where its future remains uncertain. He said he is concerned by the potential for further delays.

“Canadian farmers shouldn’t shoulder the burden of political delays and partisan interests, we truly hope the government doesn’t delay the House of Commons voting on C-234,” Carey said. “With a new growing season approaching and the next carbon price increase this spring, the necessity for financial relief is increasingly evident.”

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Carey said removing capital, especially when margins are already thin, hinders investments in efficiency.

“It’s simply not a sustainable solution to expect producers to pay tens of thousands of dollars while waiting for technology to catch up,” he said.

Bill C-234 seeks on-farm exemptions from carbon pricing for propane and natural gas used for grain drying and heating. The amended bill limits the exemption to grain drying, eliminating the proposed exemption for heating barns, greenhouses and food-growing structures, and includes an amended 3-year sunset clause.

ACA co-chair Scott Ross said there isn’t enough time for technology to catch up and be widely available to farmers across all Canada. This exclusion means farmers, growers and ranchers will miss out on much-needed financial relief at a crucial time.

“C-234, in its original form, acknowledges the industry’s widespread absence of viable fuel alternatives and provides immediate relief to all farmers,” Ross said. “However, moving forward with this version of the bill creates an unjust inequity for thousands of farmers left paying carbon prices on essential practices despite their shared need and lack of alternatives.”

Bill C-234 passed the House of Commons in March with support from all Conservative, New Democrat, Bloc and Green MPs, along with several Liberals. In the prior Parliament, MP Phillip Lawrence’s Private Members’ Bill C-206 and retired Senator Dianne Griffin’s S-215 aimed to secure natural gas and propane exemptions under the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act for farming activities. Bill C-206 made it to the Senate but died on the Order Paper when the 2021 general election was called.

Alberta Grains and Wheat Growers groups are asking farmers to upload their receipts to share the carbon tax portion of your natural gas or propane bill.

From there, ACA will compile and analyze the data to present it directly to Senators, MPs and ministers.

Their goal is to provide them with an exact understanding of what farmers, growers and ranchers pay and why farmers need Bill C-234 in its original form.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @farmnewsNOW