The Conservative Party of Canada has taken up the cause of prairie farmers and the lobby of the chemical fertilizer industry, ignoring the will of Quebec’s agricultural community to turn to sustainable agriculture.
As reported The duty Thursday, as the race for the leadership of the CPC comes to an end – the new leader will be elected on September 10 – the candidates Pierre Poilievre, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis and Roman Baber denounce the intention of the Trudeau government to reduce 30%, by 2030, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to the application of nitrogen fertilizers.
In late July, the CCP, with dramatic messages on Facebook, supported protesters who had marched to Ottawa and other Canadian cities on the heels of a protest movement by farmers in the Netherlands opposed a 50% reduction in the use of synthetic fertilizers. Leslyn Lewis even predicted a repeat, only worse, of the Freedom Convoy that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for three weeks last winter.
To help farmers reach the target, the Trudeau government has earmarked an envelope of $3 billion to which it has just added $500 million. But at the annual meeting of agriculture ministers in July, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba clashed, opposing the reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application targeted by Ottawa, a position to which rallied the Conservative government of Ontario. These chemical fertilizers, if they are not absorbed by the plants, release nitrous oxide, a GHG whose effect on global warming is 300 times greater than that of CO2. Along with methane, it is the main source of GHG emissions for which agriculture is responsible, an activity that accounts for 9% of total emissions in the country.
On the question of fertilizers, Quebec and Ottawa are on the same wavelength. With its Plan for Sustainable Agriculture, the CAQ government is aiming for a 15% reduction in the volume of nitrogenous fertilizing materials and thus believes that Quebec farmers will be able to reach the federal objective relating to emissions.
In fact, the Quebec agricultural world is committed to a sustainable agriculture approach, driven by consumers who are more concerned than ever about the environmental impact of their food and its safety. This spring, many farmers flocked to the voluntary program to implement agro-environmental practices. The sum of 56 million offered for the remuneration of the participants was distributed in a few hours and another round, endowed with 29 million, is planned for next January.
It is true that the contribution of fertilizers varies greatly depending on the type of crop and the nature of the soil. In Quebec, much more nitrogen fertilizer is used per hectare, especially from natural sources, than in the Prairies. But given the vastness of land in Western Canada, the volume of chemical fertilizers used and the emissions they cause are much greater. Nevertheless, experts who are not in the pay of the fertilizer industry believe that it is possible to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers without affecting the profitability of farms.
The Canadian Conservatives have found another subject to cut themselves off from Quebecers. Pierre Poilievre is already campaigning for the construction of pipelines, the revival of the LNG Quebec project in Saguenay and the abolition of the federal carbon tax. Jean Charest, too, supports the LNG project and its gas pipeline. He also promises to abolish this pricing even if he prided himself, as Premier of Quebec, on having set up a carbon market. The conservative race leads him to compromises. It should be remembered that conservative activists, meeting in congress in 2021, had rejected a proposal recognizing that climate change was real. We go a long way.
This denial of the climate crisis is not the only major issue where the Canadian Conservatives are at odds with the vast majority of Quebec voters. Thus, according to a compilation made by an English-Canadian anti-abortion group and published in The Journal of Montreal, one-third of Conservative MPs in the House of Commons are against the right to abortion as it applies in the country. The religious right is an active force within the CCP, and we can see where its grip leads south of our border. As Pierre Poilievre demonstrates, American-style politics seems to appeal to a good part of the party’s militant base. And to think that Jean Charest has the claim to become the leader.