A strong, united voice for Canadian canola
The Canola Council speaks for the industry on issues affecting the entire canola value chain. We address public policy decisions, at home and abroad, that are required to help our sector thrive.
As we address these issues, we draw on the knowledge of internal specialists and an extensive industry network. Working as a team, we seek a more supportive environment for canola from the laboratory where innovation starts to the retail shelf where consumers purchase our product.
Top advocacy priorities
The Canola Council of Canada is very active, advocating for the priorities of our members. There is a range of policies that we are involved in, and current advocacy priorities include the following:
Supporting the market for canola-based biofuels
- Canola is a sustainable part of a healthy environment, taking greenhouse gas emissions from the air and turning them into renewable fuel. Canola-based biofuels are low-carbon, renewable fuels made from crops grown by approximately 40,000 Canadian farmers. These biofuels are good for the environment, our economy and our farms.
- Renewable fuel standards that reward low-carbon biofuels are integral to helping Canada achieve its emissions-reduction targets and transition to a low-carbon economy.
- Incorporating the advantages of canola-based biofuels into the federal Clean Fuel Regulations (CFR) will lead to further greenhouse gas reductions. Within CFR, sustainability criteria must recognize canola and crop-based agriculture in Canada and other qualifying countries as sustainable on an aggregate basis, to ensure competitiveness with our trading partners. Further, canola’s low carbon advantage must be reflected in the Life Cycle Analysis model.
- The federal government must work with the clean fuel supply chain to support and incentivize clean fuel production in Canada. This takes on increased importance in the face of significant incentives being provided to clean fuel producers in the United States.
Advocating for sound, science-based regulation
- Decisions on crop protection products have been based on the scientific advice of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency of Health Canada, and this needs to continue.
- Similarly, plant breeding policies and regulations need to be aligned with the latest technological advancements in the sector.
- Innovations in both of these areas have an important role to play in continuing to advance industry sustainability and are required for the sector to remain competitive.
Trade diversification in the Indo-Pacific Region
- The Indo-Pacific is a key region for canola market development and diversification.
- CCC, along with industry partners, supports a well-resourced Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office that has the capability and the mandate to prevent and resolve market access issues in the region.
- This office should be led by a multidisciplinary team of experts that work collaboratively with industry and complement existing government resources including embassy personnel and trade commissioners. With the office to be based in Manila, CCC continues to advocate for the office to include the following:
- Technical personnel (plant science, plant pathology, veterinarians) to deal with market access issues arising from sanitary and phytosanitary measures;
- Regulatory policy experts who can assist in building capacity locally and championing science-based regulatory approaches in key markets; and
- Agriculture and trade policy personnel.
Enabling better service and prices for Canada’s grain shippers
- Many parts of the Prairies are exclusively serviced by one Class 1 railway carrier.
- Extended interswitching is one tool that can help create competitive forces within the rail system and contribute to better service and prices for shippers.
- Extended interswitching allows shippers to negotiate with the non-originating carrier in the event that the originating carrier is unable or unwilling to provide the service required to move grain.
- This tool should be made permanent, and its radius increased in order to allow all major growing regions in the Prairies to benefit from extended interswitching.
