Senator Rob Black.
Farmers Forum staff
OTTAWA — Before too much dust settles on a one-year-old Senate soil report, its chief proponent hopes to spur action from the new Carney government.
Senator Rob Black chose the first anniversary of the document’s final approval in the Red Chamber to highlight “next steps to push the report further.”
Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human and Social Health was completed after 18 months of study that included senator trips to farms in Canada and Italy. According to Black’s office, the report reiterates some of the same issues and concerns previously identified in the Senate’s last national soil study in 1984: “Soil is at risk across Canada and around the world, and we must take action now to protect it. We do not have another 40 years!”
Black, citing a “fantastic response” to the report, continues to encourage farmers and industry to “help ensure the report remains front of mind for all levels of government.”
Twenty-two of the report’s recommendations were supported to some degree by the previous Trudeau government, according to the Ontario senator. He now looks forward to “discussing the report with new and returning government officials to ensure that the protection, preservation, and conservation of soil in Canada is prioritized and met with immediate action.”
The report identified a need for more incentives to encourage farmers to use “regenerative methods that preserve soil as well as financial and administrative support for farmers who want to implement these practices to offset the risks,” according to Black, a Trudeau appointee.
