Canadian Agricultural Programs and Policy in Transition

Abstract

"Canada does not have an agricultural policy, rather it has agricultural programs. The history of price and income stabilization programs is discussed along with supply management. Programs for the grains and oilseeds sectors have witnessed major changes while supply management has not. Canadian agricultural policy falls under the responsibility of both federal and provincial governments. As a result, farmers in Alberta, for example, receive far greater assistance than farmers in Saskatchewan. Under the new Canadian farm program (CAIS) large payments have been made to Canadian farmers even though many of the farmers who applied for CAIS payments received none." Copyright (c) 2008 Canadian Agricultural Economics Society.

Production Rigidity, Input Lumpiness, Efficiency, and the Technological Hurdle of Quebec Dairy Farms

“…At the time, the average herd size in Ontario was 25% larger than that in Quebec. Schmitz (2008) observes that this outcome was predicted by Lambert et al (1995) who estimated supply and demand functions for production quota in Quebec and Ontario to make an inference about the pattern of trade. Lambert et al (1995) show the importance of scale effects and returns from nondairy production in explaining the valuations of production quota.…”

Growing Forward with Agricultural Policy: Strengths and Weaknesses of Canada's Agricultural Data Sets

“…Tripartite programs, in which producers were required to pay a premium to receive support, were introduced in 1986 under the ASA with the Western Grain Stabilization Act, followed by the National Tripartite Stabilization Program in 1986 (Forge 2006). The overall goal of these voluntary price support programs shifted more toward stabilization of aggregate net cash flow for farmers as the government started to reduce the level of support and to also shift the cost of price and production risk toward producers (Schmitz 2008). The role of the Canadian government in supporting the welfare of farmers shifted further in 1991 with the enactment of the Farm Income Protection Act (FIPA; Office of the Auditor General of Canada 1994).…”

Canadian Agricultural Programs and Paradigms:The Influence of International Trade Agreements and Domestic Factors

“…Most reforms to agricultural policy instruments have been in response to requirements of international trade agreements or the norms and guidelines of international organizations. Farm income safety nets have been configured as decoupled, whole farm income support measures in order to be consistent with WTO rules (See Schmitz (2008) for details). OECD (1998) documents that recognize the multifunctional character of agriculture provided the blueprint for the business risk management programs in the 2003–08 APF.…”