Senate ag committee launching "Ag 101" sessions — a look ahead with Senator Rob Black скачать в хорошем качестве

Senate ag committee launching "Ag 101" sessions — a look ahead with Senator Rob Black

The chair of the Senate of Canada’s agriculture and forestry committee says he expects issues around agriculture and food will remain prominent in the upper chamber looking ahead to 2026. Agriculture is already appearing much more frequently in Senate debates than a few years ago, notes Senator Rob Black, in the interview above. “In the first three months that I was appointed senator in the spring of 2018, agriculture was mentioned once in the Senate chamber,” he says. “In the fall three months of 2025, there were only four to six days that agriculture was not mentioned in the Senate.” He credits that shift to increased engagement from the sector and relevant issues before Parliament. Black also pointed to a small group of senators with a strong agriculture background. “We now have three senators that are focused on agriculture,” he says, referring to Senator Mary Robinson from PEI and Senator Todd Lewis from Saskatchewan. 2026 is shaping up to be a busy year, he says. In addition to all of the attention on trade and geopolitics, Black notes he’s taking on a new role, and several existing agriculture-focused initiatives are expected to move forward in the coming months. He’s now the deputy leader of the 19-member Canadian Senators group, which will mean regular meetings with deputies from other Senate groups and other responsibilities. “I will not give up the ag focus, but (there’s) certainly a set of new challenges within my realm and within the realm of my office,” he says. The Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee will continue its study on food security and sovereignty. The committee is also launching a new initiative aimed at improving senators’ understanding of agriculture. “Our ag committee is incorporating what we’re calling Ag 101 sessions,” Black says. “So when we don’t have witnesses for bills that we’re looking at or a study that we’re on, we’re bringing in folks from the ag industry to share with the committee things about agriculture so that they’re better prepared to deal with issues in the Ag and Forestry Committee.” He says the Ag 101 sessions could also be used to help senators understand emerging trade and policy issues. “CUSMA, China, tariffs in general, U.S. trade are big ticket issues,” Black says. “Those actually may provide some issues for that Ag 101 session.” Black also anticipates his private member’s bill to develop a national soil strategy will pass second reading and be referred back to the ag committee in February. “Anything we can do to keep soil health, soil, food security, food sovereignty at the forefront will be a good thing,” he says. Website: https://www.realagriculture.com/ Find us on our other social media platforms: X/Twitter:   / realagriculture   Instagram:   / realagriculture   Facebook:   / realagmedia