Question Period Note: EXTREME WEATHER

Q1 - Q1 What is your Department doing to support farmers in Western Canada facing extreme conditions? Q2 What is the government doing to prepare the sector for increased extreme weather in the future?

R1 - An initial list of designated regions have been authorized in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba under the Livestock Tax Deferral program for 2023 due to extreme weather conditions. Early designation of the Livestock Tax Deferral provision will provide assurance so producers can make informed decisions to manage their herds.
On October 20, 2023, we announced a contribution of $219 million to support farmers and ranchers in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan who are dealing with extraordinary costs due to drought conditions and wildfires.
We stand with producers and ranchers. This funding will help them recover and ensure that they have the tools they need to continue to be resilient in the face of natural disasters and extreme weather events. Federal, provincial and territorial governments are committing a total of $365 million to affected areas under the AgriRecovery Framework. R2 - The government is engaged in a broad set of actions to support the sector in managing future conditions, including potentially increased instances and severity of extreme weather events.
For example, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) is a $3.5 billion investment over five years by federal, provincial and territorial governments focused on key priorities including science and innovation, resiliency, and environment and climate change. The Sustainable CAP is one important way that the government is helping position the sector to better face future challenges.
In addition, we are reviewing the BRM suite to assess its interactions with climate risks and how the sector is addressing them, in consultation with provinces and territories.
Other initiatives include the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy, which will strengthen collaboration on environment and climate action in the sector.

Recent Extreme Weather Events

The 2023 production season was highly impacted by extreme weather events that included drought, wildfires and grasshopper destruction in Western Canada, wildfires and floods in Quebec, and floods in Nova Scotia. This closely followed the 2021 production year, which included one of the worst drought episodes in the last 40 years in Western Canada in addition to the Pacific Northwest floods in British Columbia. In 2022, Atlantic provinces were impacted by Hurricane Fiona.

Current Drought and Wildfires Conditions

Extreme dry conditions have dominated much of Western Canada. British Columbia and Saskatchewan saw the largest precipitation deficits in August 2023 with substantial portions of southern Saskatchewan going more than two weeks without any precipitation. Extreme drought conditions continued to grow in southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and in various pockets throughout British Columbia. On August 18, 2023, the Province of British Columbia declared a Provincial State of Emergency, under the authority of the Emergency Program Act, to support ongoing response and recovery efforts caused by wildfires.

On October 20, 2023 the Government announced $219 million in support to farmers and ranchers in these areas that are dealing with extraordinary costs due to drought conditions and wildfires.

Livestock Tax Deferral

The Livestock Tax Deferral provision allows livestock producers who are forced to sell all or part of their breeding herd due to drought or excess moisture to defer a portion of their income from sales until the following tax year. The income may be at least partially offset by the cost of reacquiring breeding animals, thus reducing the tax burden associated with the original sale. Given the recent extreme weather conditions, an initial list of designated regions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba authorized for 2023 was announced on August 21, 2023.

Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership

AAFC and its provincial and territorial counterparts are implementing programming under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, $3.5 billion federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) policy framework, that is the successor to the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

The Sustainable CAP places a strong emphasis on climate change and the environment, which are critical to the continued prosperity of the sector as well as supporting economic growth and competitiveness. The Sustainable CAP will focus on supporting environmental, economic, and social objectives across all five priority areas, including science, research and innovation, market development and trade, building sector capacity, and resiliency and public trust.

Sustainable Agriculture Strategy

The Sustainable Agriculture Strategy (SAS) is a long-term plan that will help bring together action on priority environment and climate issues in the agriculture sector. The SAS is a shared direction and vision for collective action to improve environmental performance and enhance resilience to climate change in the agriculture sector. The strategy will take action on environmental and climate issues while providing the vital role of responding to growing demands for healthy and affordable food and supporting economic growth.

The main areas that SAS focuses on are the following:
• Soil health
• Adaptation and resilience
• Water
• Climate change mitigation
• Biodiversity

• The agriculture sector across Canada has been facing significant impacts from extreme weather events over the last few years, including droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes.

• The government is supporting the sector in managing the impacts of these weather events through a full range of programs and initiatives. This includes the suite of business risk management programs, as well as other tools.

• In addition, the government is working with provincial and territorial counterparts and industry to support adaptation to extreme weather, climate change mitigation, and overall greater resilience.

• Initiatives such as the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, that is already in place, and the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy, currently being developed, are contributing to these efforts.