This federal government appears to look at almost every decision through a climate change lens.
For better or worse, Ottawa is determined to walk the walk when it comes to reducing damage caused by global warming.
It is also prepared to spend a lot of money in this effort.
A case in point is the mind-boggling dollars the federal government has committed to help two companies set up electric vehicle battery manufacturing plants in Ontario.
This is partly an economic development project, of course, but the focus on electric vehicles and efforts to reduce fossil fuel use are very much part of the decision.
And the numbers are staggering.
First was Volkswagen, which wants to build a new electric vehicle battery plant in Ontario. The federal government is prepared to invest up to $13.7 billion to make it happen.
Then Stellantis-LG Energy Solution said it was putting the brakes on its own battery plant plans unless Canada matched the level of subsidies offered in the United States.
The Ontario and federal governments eventually agreed to provide up to $15 billion in production incentives.
There is much debate about whether these subsidies are the best way to save the planet.
As well, subsidizing individual companies revives the argument over whether governments should be picking winners, though in this case it’s unsurprising, given this particular government’s single-minded focus on fighting climate change.
It begs the question: where is this single-mindedness when it comes to agriculture’s role in climate change mitigation?
In fairness, the government has not ignored agriculture.
It has rolled out the Agricultural Climate Solutions program, which includes $185 million over 10 years to help establish a national network of living labs and a $200 million, three-year On-Farm Climate Action Fund to help farmers adopt beneficial management practices that store carbon and reduce greenhouse gases.
Then there’s the $250 million available through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program, as well as other cost-shared strategic initiatives.
While it’s true the government’s climate change focus hasn’t ignored agriculture, the amount of money it’s spending on the sector pales in comparison to that earmarked for two private companies to build electric vehicle batteries in Ontario.
No, this isn’t a petulant demand for fairness, similar to small children who keep track of what presents each receives from Grandma and Grandpa.
But it is glaringly obvious that the federal government is not treating all sectors of the economy equally.
There is little point in demanding that agriculture receive $28.7 billion from the feds because that’s what the battery makers received. But we do expect that agriculture’s important role in climate change mitigation be recognized.
There are many areas that deserve closer funding attention, such as long-term crop breeding, modern biotechnology techniques and water management.
Of course, investments in agriculture generally take longer to show results and are harder to quantify when politicians curry favour with voters. But they are also more likely to stand the test of time.
We all agree agriculture is the solution and not the problem when it comes to climate change. Now it’s time for the federal government to act like it believes it.
Karen Briere, Bruce Dyck, Barb Glen, Michael Robin, Robin Booker, Laura Rance and Mike Raine collaborate in the writing of Western Producer editorials.
