Bills 15 and 52 diminish a farmer’s ability to make decisions about their own land, transferring control from the hands of farmers and into the hands of government

BC Liberal MLAs John Rustad and Ian Paton introduced legislation today that would repeal the NDPs two destructive agriculture bills.

Since their introduction in 2018 and 2019, the bills have received widespread backlash from farmers and others in the agriculture sector.

“Our bill would reverse the government’s damaging legislation that infringes on the rights of farmers,” said Rustad, MLA for Nechako Lakes.

“Bills 15 and 52 diminish a farmer’s ability to make decisions about their own land, transferring the of the control of agricultural land out of the hands of farmers and into the hands of the government. It increases financial hardship for farmers and threatens the existence of multi-generational family farms.”

The BC Liberals have been working to get the NDP to reverse their legislation since 2018 when Agriculture Minister Lana Popham first tabled it, talking directly to farmers about their concerns and even standing with dozens of farmers at the legislature to call for the repeal of the bills.

“Farmers work tirelessly to enrich our economy and provide us with fresh, local food, but the NDP decided to return the favour by creating more barriers for them and trampling on their rights,” said Paton, MLA for Delta South and BC Liberal Co-Critic for Agriculture.

“Our bill would undo this damage and restore farmers’ rights to their own land. It is time for the government to listen to the voices of thousands of B.C. farmers and repeal bills 15 and 52.” ​