What We Can Learn About Open Markets From Wine and Wheat – April 24, 2013
Canadian history is filled with tales of protected industries destined for oblivion because of free trade, foreign threats or lost subsidies. But the worst-case scenario rarely plays out as predicted. Consider two prominent examples from the past quarter-century: the advent of free trade for Ontario’s wine industry and the end of the subsidized freight rates for Western grain farmers. In both cases, disaster was predicted. Yet both sectors adapted and emerged stronger.

Government Must Stand up for Farmers and Commit to Ending Supply Management – March 25, 2013
Martha Hall Findlay has brought attention to Canada’s system of supply management; a system in which production quotas are allocated to dairy, poultry, turkey and egg farmers, and prices are set by their respective marketing boards. Farmers themselves are the victims of this status quo – particularly export dependent producers in Western Canada.

The Supply Management Cartel: – March 8, 2013
Eric Merkley shows that Canada’s supply management system stands in need of reform, and considers how the political obstacles to change can be overcome.

Mark Lynas - Lecture to Oxford Farming Conference – January 17, 2013
I want to start with some apologies. For the record, here and upfront, I apologise for having spent several years ripping up GM crops. I am also sorry that I helped to start the anti-GM movement back in the mid 1990s, and that I thereby assisted in demonising an important technological option which can be used to benefit the environment.

An Activist Recants on GM Foods – January 16, 2013
Environmental journalist Mark Lynas used to think that genetically modified crops were evil. But now, Mr. Lynas has recanted. He admits he was unequivocally, disastrously wrong about GM foods, and he’s offering his apology.

Canada’s Organic Food System is a Nightmare – January 3, 2013
Canadians are bombarded with messages that organic food is purer, tastier, and more nutritious. However, an in-depth report indicates that there is no systematic, empirical proof that it is any of these things. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency does not test organic food before certifying it.

Denmark Scraps Much-Maligned 'Fat Tax' After a Year – November 13, 2012
Danish lawmakers have killed a controversial "fat tax" one year after its implementation, after finding its negative effect on the economy and the strain it has put on small businesses far outweigh the health benefits.

Pierre Desrochers, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. – November 7, 2012
The Frontier Centre interviewed Pierre Desrochers in Calgary on October 25,2012. His unique strength as one of the most well-known critics of the locavore movement is his knowledge of a broader set of issues than other critics who have attacked only one facet of this movement.

Media Release - Canada’s Organic Certification System is an Emperor with No Clothes – November 1, 2012
Canada lacks a system for testing organic products, making the system open to abuse, conflict of interest situations and foreign exploitation.

Canada’s Organic Nightmare – November 1, 2012
This study exposes serious shortcomings in Canada’s organic food industry given the absence of a systematic testing system.

Stop Feeling Sorry for Farmers – September 12, 2012
Everyone feels sorry for farmers when they are hit with a disaster like this summer’s drought. Politicians are called on to do even more to supplement government’s generous support programs, and no one much questions it.

How Much You Wanna Bet – September 6, 2012
I'll bet you didn't know that the majority of the certified-organic food sold in this country is imported. Brokers in places like China have figured out that all we require is paperwork to "prove" a crop is genuinely organic. And, speaking of China, were you aware that only Chinese inspectors who are active members of The Communist Party of China are allowed to inspect Chinese farms, in spite of the fact that it's USDA and CFIA certification being granted? Who came up with that lame idea?

The Future of Farming – September 3, 2012
Tomorrow’s farming will look like today’s, only more so. Crop and livestock yields per acre must triple again to protect wildlife habitat. Biotechnology will be increasingly vital. Confinement feeding will be even more important, to leave room for wildlife. Organic will prove to be a fad, as will locovores and vegetarians. Activists will be less credible than over the past 50 years.

Time to End Supply Management – But it won’t go Quietly – July 6, 2012
For a brief, shining moment in the early 2000s, Canada had a small but thriving milk export business. Georgian Bay Milk Co., based in Barrie, Ont., would buy milk from a clutch of farmers operating outside Canada’s tightly controlled supply managed dairy industry and ship it to dairies in New York state.

Grain Freight Regulation has Inhibited Productivity – May 25, 2012
By eliminating the special treatment of grain, the federal government can eliminate barriers to investment, boost railway productivity and enhance the movement of goods in Canada.

Rare Corporate Courage and Common Sense – May 22, 2012
Good for Wal-Mart! Despite intense pressure by anti-biotechnology activists, the retailing giant didn’t cave in to demands that it “reject” Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) sweet corn (maize).

Grain Freight Regulation in Canada – May 18, 2012
A newly released study for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy looks at the history of railway and freight regulation in Canada to argue that while grain protection policy was seen as progressive at the time, the economic fall-out throughout the industry has often been detrimental.

Media Release - The lingering effects of the 1897 Crow’s Nest Pass rates on grain remain today – May 18, 2012
A new study for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy suggests that over-regulation of grain freight policies negatively affects railway productivity and investment and therefore should be discarded.

Beyond Supply Management – March 30, 2012
Canada’s dairy industry is not currently well-positioned to succeed in increasingly liberalized international markets and policy reforms are currently needed to insure competitiveness in the future.

Media Release - The Canadian Dairy Industry In a Post Supply Management Era – March 23, 2012
Sylvain Charlebois and Tatiana Astray discuss ideas for policy reform that will enable Canada’s dairy industry to compete effectively with international competitors in a post supply management era.