SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Bill

Bill C-203

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 29, 2021
Soil Conservation Act
  • Bill C-203 is a proposed law in Canada that aims to promote soil conservation and improve the overall health of soil. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food would be responsible for developing a national strategy to achieve these goals. The strategy would involve analyzing the status of Canada's soils, collecting data on soil health, supporting and encouraging farmers to use best management practices for soil health, incorporating regenerative soil management principles into policy and legislation, and promoting the sharing of information on soil health with the public. The bill also proposes designating December 5th as "World Soil Day" and the third week of April as "National Soil Conservation Week." Overall, the bill recognizes the importance of soil in agriculture, ecosystems, and addressing global challenges like climate change.
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Context: House Hansard - 6 - Nov/29/21
Mr. Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, NDP)
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-203, An Act respecting soil conservation and soil health. He said: Mr. Speaker, I am extremely proud, not only as the member of Parliament for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, but also as the NDP's critic for agriculture and agri-food, to introduce this private members' bill. Healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable food production, enhanced biodiversity and cleaner air and water. Healthy soils are also key to our fight against climate change, as good agricultural practices can unlock soils' huge carbon sequestration potential. The bill I am introducing today sets up a national strategy to promote efforts across Canada to conserve and improve the health of our soils. The strategy would help maintain, enhance and rebuild the capacity of soils to produce food and fuel for years to come. It would encourage farmers and other land users with research, education, training and knowledge transfer in best practices. The bill would also recommend the establishment of a national advocate for soil health, and would formally recognize both World Soil Day on December 5 and National Soil Conservation Week during the third week of April each year. Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley for seconding this bill, and I invite all of my colleagues to join me in making this strategy a reality for our hard-working Canadian farmers.
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