CALGARY, AB: This week Federal Minister of Agriculture MacAulay stated in the Senate, “…you would find that most farmers support the moves we have made to make sure that we put a tax on carbon.” This is simply not correct.
“I’m not sure who has been briefing Minister MacAulay, but he is dead wrong if he thinks that most farmers support a carbon tax,” said Jim Wickett, Chair Western Canadian Wheat Growers.
Each province is dealing with the Federal Government’s mandated carbon tax differently and some provincial governments have attempted to make it revenue neutral. Farmers should be recognized for the positive way that they treat the land that they work on. For many generations, our farmers have taken good care of their land, to ensure that they can continue to grow safe, healthy food in an environmentally sustainable way and ensure sustainability for the next generation. Farmers should be rewarded for the huge carbon sink that agriculture creates, not penalized through a carbon tax.
“Farmers don’t agree on everything, but if there’s one issue they stand together on, it’s in opposition to a carbon tax,” stated Levi Wood, President Western Canadian Wheat Growers.
About the Wheat Growers:
Founded in 1970, the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association is a voluntary farmer-run advocacy organization dedicated to developing public policy solutions that strengthen the profitability and sustainability of farming, and the agricultural industry as a whole. For more information, please visit wheatgrowers.ca.
For More Information Contact:
Jim Wickett, Chair
306- 882-4006
jwickett@wheatgrowers.ca
Levi Wood, President
306-535-2997
lwood@wheatgrowers.ca