Emma Harrison

“moved that Bill S-230, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy for soil health protection, conservation and enhancement, be read the second time and referred to a committee. She said: Madam Speaker, 8.2 billion people around the world have something in common. We all rely on the soil, the critical ground beneath our feet, to sustain us. Globally, scientists estimate that the average soil depth on land is in the order of about only one metre. Of course, it can vary dramatically. Prime agricultural land in Ontario can often have only half a metre to one and a half metres of soil before reaching glacial deposits or bedrock, while some prairie soils can be two to three metres in depth. The life-supporting layer of life on Earth is remarkably shallow. It is extraordinarily valuable, and it is at risk. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations found that 33% of earth’s soils are already degraded and over 90% could become degraded by 2050. In Ontario, 68% of Ontario’s farmland is at risk of unsustainable soil loss. Like any scarce resource, we need to protect it, conserve it and enhance it, but this can only be done through a coordinated national approach to protecting Canada’s soil resources. That is why Bill S-230, an act respecting the development of a national strategy for soil health protection, conservation and enhancement, is so necessary and so timely. Introduced by Ontario senator Robert Black and passed in the Senate on March 26, Bill S-230 builds on the Senate’s agriculture and forestry committee’s excellent 2024 report entitled “Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human, and Social Health”. The title says it all. The report describes how this one metre of soil is essential for ecosystem services that enable all plant, animal and human life on earth. It is one metre for water purification and storage, climate and flood regulation, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and the provision of food, fibre, fuel and habitat for organisms. I encourage everyone to look it up at SenCanada.ca. It is a page-turner, a fascinating and thorough examination of soils across Canada, including forest soils and permafrost. It is informed by 153 witnesses, 74 briefs and fact-finding missions with farmers, producers, industry and researchers right across Canada. Someone who is not already fascinated with soil and soil health before they read this report will quickly become an advocate. Canada owes Senator Black a debt of gratitude for his lifetime of leadership in Canadian agriculture, and Parliament owes him a debt of gratitude for championing this legislation. In the House, we often talk about Canada’s food security. We talk about grocery prices, supply chains and our ability to produce and process more food here at home. They are important priorities, especially at a time when international trade uncertainty, rising production costs and extreme weather are placing pressure on Canadian farmers, families and food prices. However, there is another part of our food system that is so foundational and deserves much more attention, and that is the health of the soil that makes agricultural production possible. Soil provides crops with essential nutrients and water, supports biodiversity, stores carbon and helps agricultural land withstand drought and heavy rainfall. When soil loses its structure, nutrients or organic matter, farmers can face lower productivity and higher costs and are more vulnerable to extreme weather. Those factors translate into higher costs at the grocery store for Canadians. Restoring degraded soil can take years, even decades. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, restoring soil health, biological activity, carbon content and water-holding capacity can take anywhere between five and 20 years under good management. Fully regenerating the soil can take centuries. We use the word “generational” in the House quite a bit, and this is a generational issue. We use “vital” a lot in the House as well. What more appropriate word could apply to our soil health? Vitalis, meaning life, pertaining to life and necessary for life, captures the essential nature of healthy soils, which are necessary for our environmental, food security, sovereignty and economic needs. The city of Guelph is home to more than 50 agricultural organizations, industry associations, research institutes and government agencies. That makes us one of Canada’s largest agri-food innovation hubs. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, the Arrell Food Institute, Bioenterprise, and the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance all call Guelph home. The University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College is ranked number one in Canada and among the top 15 globally, anchoring world-leading soil and agri-food research right here in Ontario. University initiatives such as Soils At Guelph connect researchers, farmers, industry and government to deliver real-world solutions across climate, crops, biology and water systems. State-of-the-art soil monitoring systems at the Ontario crops research centre in Elora are among the only facilities of their kind in North America, supporting Ontarian and Canadian producers with valuable agricultural data for more than 45 years. We understand the important relationship among soil health, one health, and agricultural innovation and resilience. Every day, researchers in Guelph and right across Canada seek to make soils, plants and agriculture more resilient, more abundant and more affordable. These findings really matter to farmers, who are working every day to manage input costs, improve productivity and remain competitive, and who are extraordinary champions of soil health and protection. It is an exciting time. Agriculture is increasingly high-tech. Farmers, producers and ranchers are using technology to protect and restore soil health by making agriculture more precise, efficient and sustainable. Using GPS-guided equipment, satellite imagery, soil sensors, AI and data analytics, farmers can apply water, fertilizer and crop protection products only where they are needed, reducing waste and minimizing impacts on soil and waterways. New technologies also support practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage and precision nutrient management, which help prevent erosion, build soil organic matter, improve water retention and increase resilience to drought and extreme weather. Together, all these innovations are enabling farmers to produce more food, while preserving the long-term health and productivity of the soil on which agriculture depends and on which we all depend. Understanding soil health is equally important in preparing Canadian agriculture for a changing climate. In 2021, severe drought in the Prairies contributed to a 37% decline in Canadian wheat production. Healthy soil cannot prevent a drought, but better soil structure and higher organic matter can improve water retention and help agricultural systems become more resilient. Practical soil health solutions benefit both farmers and the environment, and demonstrate that agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability can be complementary. In fact, the long-term success of Canadian agriculture depends on it. Canadian farmers, producers and industry are leading in this respect. Canada already has tremendous expertise. This bill calls for consolidation, enrichment and evolution of that expertise across the country to ensure that it informs and guides a coordinated, long-term national effort. Our government has already taken an important step toward achieving this goal. On March 26, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced the Government of Canada’s commitment to advancing a national agricultural soil health strategy, alongside Senator Black and Alan Kruzel, farmer director at the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, with which the government will partner to develop the strategy. This builds on the significant work already undertaken by the council, farmers and industry partners across the country who have been working on soil health strategies for years. However, without an overarching federal strategy, as proposed in this bill, we lack the ability to protect and conserve agricultural and forestry soils in this country. This announcement marked an important step forward for Canadian agriculture: the recognition of soil as a critical national asset that supports the livelihood of Canadian farmers, our food security, agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. This strategy will be informed through regular engagement with provinces and territories, indigenous agricultural groups, producer organizations, academia and industry, ensuring that regional realities and long-term agricultural priorities are reflected in this development. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will also work with the Soil Conservation Council of Canada to establish a committee structure and advisory working groups, bringing together expertise in research, knowledge sharing, soil data and incentives to support sustainable agricultural practices. The objective is to build on existing knowledge, strengthen coordination, improve soil health information and support the long-term resilience of Canada’s agricultural lands. It demonstrates that the government is already taking steps to advance a national approach to agricultural soil health, building on the momentum created by farmers, researchers, industry partners and Parliament. The fact that work on a national strategy is already under way does not diminish the importance of this legislation. It reinforces it. The March announcement establishes a commitment to collaboration and action. Bill S-230 would complement that work by establishing a legislative framework with clear responsibilities and reporting requirements to support accountability over the longer term. Together these efforts would provide an opportunity to ensure that protecting and enhancing Canada’s agricultural soils remains a national priority for generations to come. The legislation also aligns with Canada’s first national food security strategy announced by the Prime Minister in July. That strategy focuses on increasing grocery competition, expanding food processing in Canada, growing more fruits and vegetables year-round and reducing regulatory barriers. However, if we want Canadian farmers to produce more food, we must also protect the very foundation of our food system by keeping farmland and soils healthy, productive and resilient. Time is of the essence, and the momentum is strong. That brings me to what Bill S-230 would accomplish. First, the legislation would require a national strategy that recognizes soil as a strategic national asset essential to domestic and international food security. We recognize the strategic importance of our energy resources, critical minerals and transportation infrastructure. Our agricultural soils deserve similar attention, because they sustain our ability to produce food, fibre and fuel. Importantly, the legislation would also connect soil health with agricultural production that is both sustainable and profitable. Second, Bill S-230 would require measures to improve our understanding of the condition of Canadian soils. That includes examining degradation, compaction, nutrient availability, contamination, carbon content and water-holding capacity. Better information would help identify emerging risks, assess the effectiveness of different practices and guide future research and policy decisions. Third, the bill would support education, research, technical assistance and knowledge sharing. This means helping farmers access practical information about effective soil management practices while recognizing the importance of indigenous knowledge and stewardship. It would also provide for consideration of a national soil information system to improve how knowledge is collected and shared, which is very important. Fourth, the strategy would include recommendations concerning a national advocate for soil health, alongside appropriate targets, timelines and resources. This one is essential. These provisions matter, because national priorities need clear objectives and ways to measure progress. The legislation would also recognize diversity in Canada’s agricultural regions. What works for a grain producer in Ontario may not be appropriate for a rancher in Alberta or a potato farmer in P.E.I. That is why meaningful consultation is essential. Finally, Bill S-230 would establish an important accountability mechanism. The national strategy would have to be tabled in Parliament within two years of the legislation’s coming into force. The minister would then be required to report on progress within three years after the strategy is tabled, and every three years thereafter. These reports would assess what has been implemented, what results have been achieved and what work remains outstanding. We have established how urgent this is. Bill S-230 would provide an opportunity to reinforce the progress that has already been made and to support accountability for the years ahead. Our national food security strategy, our agricultural investments that support innovation and our environmental priorities all align. Soil health connects all three. The work being done across Canada is a testament to what is possible when research, agricultural productivity and environmental stewardship come together. We have an opportunity to build on that progress, because protecting our soils today means protecting Canada’s ability to feed itself tomorrow. It means carbon capture in our wetlands. It means healthy forest soils. Soil health, our food security and sovereignty are not partisan issues. I hope all members of the House will support the bill’s referral to committee.”