Larry Maguire, Member of Parliament for Brandon – Souris, acknowledged the passage of Bill C-234, An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. Maguire is a seconder of the bill and has constantly spoken out in favour of exempting farmers from the Liberal carbon tax.
Most recently, members of the Agriculture Committee passed Bill C-234, which will change the definition of eligible farming machinery to explicitly exempt from the Liberal carbon tax natural gas and propane used to generate heat for livestock barns and in grain drying.
“This is great news for Westman farmers,” said Maguire. “This exemption recognizes the undue financial burden the carbon tax places on farmers just so they can grow and raise the food we need.”
This bill was initially introduced in the House of Commons by Conservative Member of Parliament Ben Lobb to address the strain placed on our farmers who have no other option to dry their grain, heat their barns, or run their operations.
Due to having extended periods of wet weather in the fall, grain drying is one of the few practical solutions farmers have. According to Canadian Federation of Agriculture, grain drying has saved millions of bushels and has helped add billions of dollars to the Canadian economy.
“We need to get this Conservative bill passed as soon as possible,” added Maguire. “Farmers should not be punished for drying wet grain or heating their livestock barns during the wintertime.”
