MP Davidson’s Financial Protection Bill for Canada’s Produce Farmers Passes at Second Reading

Today, Bill C-280, the Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act, passed at Second Reading in the House of Commons. This bill will ensure that produce farmers have priority access to an insolvent buyer’s assets related to the sale of fresh produce.

“This is a great day for fresh fruit and vegetable growers right across the country,” said Scot Davidson, Member of Parliament for York-Simcoe, “we are one step closer to ensuring that Canada’s produce farmers are always paid for the fresh food they grow.”

Bill C-280 has been endorsed by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Holland Marsh Growers, and numerous national, regional, and industry-specific agricultural organizations who have all called for financial protection measures to address the unique challenges faced by the produce sector.

“With the limited deemed trust established by Bill C-280, we can strengthen Canada’s food security and ensure producers are more resilient to supply chain disruptions and other impacts. We can also ensure that nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables are more affordable and accessible for Canadians, and that our produce growers are more competitive in the global market,” Davidson said.

The bill was passed unanimously with the support of Members of Parliament from all parties. It will now be studied by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Liberal red tape costs billions and drives Canadians nuts

Scot Davidson, Conservative Shadow Minister for Red Tape Reduction, released the following statement on the release of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’ 2023 Red Tape Report Card:

“The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) have given the Liberals the worst ever federal government grade for their inaction on reducing red tape. After 8 years of Trudeau, Canadians are overwhelmed by needless regulations, endless paperwork and confusing jargon. This is costing billions and putting significant burdens on Canadian small businesses.

“Red tape is frustrating and costly — it makes our country less competitive, and our citizens less successful. Skilled immigrants are prevented from earning bigger paycheques, and Canada is prevented from getting more doctors, electricians and other skilled workers that we need today. But the Liberals continue to increase the size and cost of government while creating more regulations that make life even more expensive.

“Conservatives are committed to cutting red tape. We will prioritize a Plain Language Law that will eliminate bureaucratic jargon, we will simplify the tax system, cap government spending, introduce a pay-as-you go law requiring an equal amount of savings for any new government expenditure, and we will remove the gatekeepers so we can get things built and bring more doctors, electricians and other skilled workers to Canada.

“By cutting Liberal red tape, we will make life more affordable and put Canadians back in control of their lives.”

Statement on the Liberals’ Approval of the Georgina Aerodrome

It has come to my attention that the Liberal government has approved the construction of the Georgina Aerodrome, completely ignoring the concerns of area residents.

For months, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has refused to be transparent and open about the status of this proposal, and even misled Parliament when he suggested that no decision had been made. In fact, approval has been given, and construction can begin at any time.

This flawed approval process ignored the significant issues raised by myself and members of the community, including a lack of consultation by the proponents; environmental impacts; limited suitability and capacity for air traffic; and a lack of transparency surrounding the aerodrome’s proponents and objectives.

We have already seen corporations in places like Greenbank, Burlington, and Tottenham use loopholes in federal aerodrome regulations to exploit municipal soil laws for financial gain. They do this to dump tonnes of contaminated fill at a significant cost to the environment and to local taxpayers ─ but the Liberals have ignored this problem and did not even consider it when approving this aerodrome.

The Liberal government’s mishandling of this matter confirms once more that they are out of touch with the needs of communities like ours.

As the Conservative MP for York-Simcoe, I condemn this decision. I will continue to oppose the Georgina Aerodrome, and will work to close the loopholes so fill can’t be dumped using federal aviation regulations.