Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Dreams do come true. U.S. President Donald Trump wished for Canada's tax on U.S. tech companies to disappear on Friday, and by Sunday, it had. Mostly, there was a sense of surprise that the federal government would play such a valuable card this soon. The digital services tax (DST), which Ottawa was supposed to start collecting on Monday, was unpopular with the U.S. government and the tech giants it targeted — Meta and Amazon, for example — and, conveniently, was not especially liked by business groups at home. By quashing it, Canadian negotiators paid a kind of toll on the road to a trade deal with the U.S. — in that it kept talks rolling. But the move could back Canada against the wall on the far thornier issue of supply management ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

In Europe, there has been growing unrest for some time now, and with farmers’ protests reaching Paris, the media is beginning to pay closer attention to the situation. Countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Poland, and Romania have all felt the impact of the farmers’ movement. Now, France and Paris are in the spotlight, and the situation is far from straightforward. It goes beyond a single law or regulation; we have reached a breaking point. Essentially, as incomes stagnate in many sectors, costs related to water usage are on the rise, taxes on diesel and other fuels are accumulating, and the use of pesticides and herbicides is becoming more restricted. Additionally, the obligation to leave land fallow makes production more expensive and less productive. The list of challenges farmers face is extensive. Over the years, elected officials who have chosen to prioritize the concerns of city dwellers, often disconnected from the realities of farmers, are pushing...

No one begrudges farmers a fair living. However, chicken farmers need to be up-front as to why they need a price increase By: Sylvain Charlebois   We deeply value our farmers and rely on their hard work to provide us with essential food. Most farmers are eager to share their stories and take pride in their work. However, when it comes to supply-managed sectors, such as dairy, eggs, and poultry, the dynamics are a bit different, particularly regarding the prices they can charge to processors. The challenge of transparency persists in these sectors. Supply management involves government-sanctioned quotas granted to farmers to produce the specific amount of food required, and no more. This system helps protect the Canadian market from exorbitant prices on imports, resulting in greater supply and price stability than other commodities. It’s important to understand that when production costs rise, the prices farmers receive must also increase. This is a straightforward princip...

This afternoon June 13th), Sheila Gunn, from the Rebel media, sent me an email asking me to stand up for Maxine Bernier.   She stated: " Last night, Andrew Scheer fired Maxine Bernier from the Conservative Party’s shadow cabinet.   The reason? Bernier, the party’s most popular MP from Quebec, opposes “supply management" for Quebec’s dairy industry. Of course, supply management is just a fancy way of saying:  we all have to pay triple the normal price for milk, cheese and yogurt ,  because Quebec dairy farmers have managed to lobby Ottawa for subsidies. It makes the rest of us hundreds of dollars poorer every year, and it benefits a handful of Quebec businessmen. " Now don't get me wrong, I don't want to pay anymore than I have too, but I also DO NOT want to see Canadian farmers, ranchers, and dairy producers driven out of business.   Contrary to want anyone has to say, American producers ARE SUBSIDIZED ... and subsidized in a BIG way. ...