National Strategy for Soil Health Bill

Moved third reading of Bill S-230, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy for soil health protection, conservation and enhancement, as amended.

He said: Honourable senators, I rise this evening to speak to Bill S-230, which seeks to establish a national strategy on soil health to facilitate the protection, conservation and enhancement of soil health throughout this country.

At the outset, I would like to thank Senator Mary Robinson, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, as well as the entire committee for their active participation and insightful questions during our committee’s study of Bill S-230.

I would also like to extend my sincerest thanks to each of our witnesses who took the time to share their knowledge and expertise and answer our many questions. Your contributions have provided meaningful insight into the importance of establishing a national soil health strategy and the gaps we must address for the betterment of our country and our world’s soils.

Colleagues, as you know, I am a big soil advocate. After tabling AGFO’s Critical Ground study in June 2024 with my fellow committee members, I felt inspired and was motivated to continue campaigning for soil health protection, conservation and enhancement for the betterment of our country and our world. In my mind, Bill S-230 was another step towards this goal.

Throughout our committee meetings, I was deeply inspired by the “agvocates,” agronomists, farmers, agricultural organizations and stakeholders who graciously shared their observations and lived experiences with protecting soils. It’s amazing to see the initiatives already under way and our country’s potential for growth in these areas. The feedback and recommendations provided helped our committee strengthen Bill S-230 to ensure a fulsome, accurate, and relevant national soils strategy is developed. I can assure you that these contributions were welcomed and, indeed, warmly accepted.

As you are aware, our committee has made amendments that will reinforce the effectiveness of Bill S-230 and underscore that soil health preservation must recognize the unique experiences of farmers and Indigenous knowledge that has guided farming practices for so many years.

AGFO’s critical ground report emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sustainable soil management, and this was reinforced in the testimony we heard with respect to Bill S-230. The strategy must reflect the diversity of soils across this great country, as well as the unique experiences of farmers working within Canada’s various landscapes.

I look forward to sending Bill S-230 to the other place where our parliamentary colleagues may also exercise their due diligence in ensuring that Bill S-230 is equipped with the tools it needs to establish a soil health strategy that will safeguard our agriculture and agri-food sector, environment, economy and future.

Honourable colleagues, I’m now excited to share some great news from this morning. Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of connecting with the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, about AGFO’s soil health report, Bill S-230 and the integral role that agriculture and soil play for our country. I’m happy to share that he is supportive of this bill and the idea of developing a national soils strategy. In fact, just this morning, I had the pleasure of attending a press conference with Minister MacDonald in which he announced his government’s intention to begin developing a national agricultural soil health strategy, with work beginning as early as next month, without waiting for this bill to be passed in the other place.

Based on the minister’s timeline, the strategy will be completed and officially launched by December 2027.

Colleagues, the announcement and the intention of the minister and his department to develop a strategy is based on Bill S-230. I am sure you can tell how excited I am to share this information with you in the chamber.

To hear that the government not only supports the bill but is ready to move forward before it is legislated is not only great news for the industry but is a great example of the importance of the Senate and this august chamber to our democratic process.

Colleagues, the government is listening, and I would like to sincerely thank Minister MacDonald for his support of this important next step in ensuring soil health protection, conservation and enhancement for the betterment of our country and our world for years to come.

As noted during the press conference this morning, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will work closely with the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, producers, provinces, territories, Indigenous agricultural groups and industry to develop this strategy in accordance with many of the objectives set out in Bill S-230.

This is incredible news for the protection of Canada’s soils, for the agriculture and agri-food industry and for all Canadians. However, you may be wondering what this means for Bill S-230. I am happy to report that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s strategy goes hand in hand with Bill S-230.

This initiative reinforces the relevance of Bill S-230 and the need for our country to focus on preserving and enhancing our soils so that we can protect our environment, strengthen our food security and food sovereignty and safeguard the future of Canadians. I am truly excited to see the government running with Bill S-230 and acting upon its recommendations before passing both chambers.

Colleagues, you might also be asking yourself why I am speaking at third reading when the government announced its intention to begin developing this national soil health strategy now.

The answer to that question is twofold.

I wanted to share the news with the chamber as well as put on the record the government’s intentions to move forward. I felt it was important to share how the government is working with senators and listening to our ideas and suggestions, while also ensuring that this august chamber and our honourable colleagues have the opportunity to support the government with this initiative based on legislation from our chamber. As more people come together to recognize the importance of soil health and take meaningful steps toward its protection and sustainability, I am feeling hopeful about the future of our soils.

However, this success does not mean we can stop here. We have an opportunity to build on this momentum by continuing to raise awareness of soil degradation and advancing the many benefits of soil health across farms, cities and communities nationwide.

The Agriculture and Forestry Committee completed its soil health study in 2024. However, soil degradation did not end with the completion of that report. In fact, soil erosion remains a significant threat to soil health and soil productivity in North America, and the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils has seen increased usage of tillage in recent years after decades of decline — two alarming trends. Although knowledge of sustainable soil management has expanded in recent years, we need to ensure that policies encourage and support the adoption of these practices.

I am hopeful that the national soil health strategy will outline important actions and recommendations that can inform policy development going forward.

During the committee’s study of Bill S-230, we heard an impactful quote from Mr. Phil Paxton — from Alberta — from the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, and I would like to share. He said, “All life depends on soil, and there is no life without soil, and there is no soil without life.”

Every person has a role to play in protecting, conserving and enhancing our soils, and every person depends on the health of our soils, whether we are aware of it or not.

To remind each of you of the statistic we heard during our soil health study, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations found that in 2015, 33% of our soils from around the world were degraded to the point where they cannot be used to grow anything, with an estimate that this number could grow as high as 90% by 2050. That’s 24 years away.

Honourable colleagues, I hope you can join me in recognizing and celebrating the essential role of the soil beneath our feet, and I hope you will support me in sending Bill S-230 to the other place so that we can stand in solidarity with agronomists, soil scientists, producers, farmers, ranchers and advocates who have raised their concerns about our soils and so that we may demonstrate our support for protecting, conserving and enhancing soil health across the country.

Your Honour, I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous support to pass this bill at third reading, following a couple of additional speakers right now. Therefore, when the time comes today, I plan to call the question.

Thank you, colleagues, for your support, enthusiasm and positive vote to pass this bill very shortly so that it can be sent to the other place.

Thank you. Meegwetch.

Honourable senators, I rise today to express my support for Bill S-230, the “National Strategy for Soil Health Act.”

Farmers, growers and ranchers across Canada, including those in my home province of Prince Edward Island, highly value their soil. By actively managing soil as a high-performing asset, soil and its productivity in turn continue to fuel our provincial economic engine.

Canadian farmers are managing more than a staggering $1 trillion worth of capital, including $700 billion in land value. That land value is driven by soil; soil’s ability to deliver food, fuel and fibre; and the tight supply of available land. As they say, they aren’t making any more farmland. Affectionately known as the million-acre farm, Prince Edward Island is 1.4 million acres, and 36% of the land is dedicated to farming. That’s more than half a million acres of agricultural land.

Our Island’s pastoral landscape is defined by its signature red sandy loam soil and perfectly manicured farm fields. Despite the impressive scale of these farm operations, they are managed by a remarkably small workforce of fewer than 4,000 people — a workforce that, in 2024, generated over $820 million in farm cash receipts and was responsible for 40% of the province’s total exports.

Unique to all of Canada, Prince Edward Island has a dedicated Agricultural Crop Rotation Act designed to reduce erosion, improve groundwater and soil quality and preserve soil productivity. There are many examples of approved crop rotation management plans. Each one is custom designed to not only comply with the legislation but also to achieve environmental, soil and cropping goals, and each plan must carefully consider the unpredictability brought by ever-increasing and intense weather events.

While Senator Lewis, in his second reading speech, highlighted how no-till grain farming is a game changer for Saskatchewan’s soil and carbon opportunities, the reality is different for Prince Edward Island.

Potatoes cannot be grown in a no-till fashion. Unlike a grain seed planted with no till, the potatoes that Prince Edward Island is so famous for grow best in rows of loamy soil that are hilled. In short, what works for one region of the country may not work in another. More specifically, what works on one farm might have to be different on a neighbouring farm — all of this to reinforce that one size does not fit all.

Between nuances of crop varieties, soil types and microclimates, there is a patchwork of management plans happening across our country. This speaks to the reality that the needs of soil in one part of the country can vastly differ from another. Yet Canada is still missing an aerial view.

Bill S-230 helps bring this needed perspective. It is a collaborative approach that involves a multitude of voices coming together to engage on a strategy intended to advance legislative harmony, soil literacy, data collection, information sharing and, quite importantly, the appointment of a national advocate for soil health.

In clause 2, there is a focus on knowledge improvement measures: The national soil health strategy must include measures to facilitate the gathering of data and the monitoring of indicators on soil health, including carbon content and sequestration potential, the establishment of water-stable soil aggregation and available water holding capacity. These scientific metrics are vital indicators of the state and health of a significant nationally strategic asset.

To capture this data, today’s producers have moved far beyond that romanticized, old-faithful open cab tractor of decades ago. Today, the interior of a tractor cab looks more like a state-of-the-art fighter jet and comes with the price tag.

Modern farmers operate as high-level data managers, analyzing complex streams of daily information to optimize every acre and every input in order to meet a multitude of demands. As impressive as farming has always been on its own, it’s important to recognize these modern stewards are going far beyond that. Farming today requires a level of sophistication to optimize these high-value assets.

A prime example of this evolution is the up-and-coming P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture’s precision ag data platform AgIntel. By using infield sensors and cloud technology, AgIntel automates data collection from farm fields. It provides farmers with insights into water use, fertilizer use and carbon sequestration without requiring a 5G internet connection. This is exactly the kind of on-the-ground innovation that Bill S-230 seeks to spotlight in national conversations.

Senators, we talk about “one Canadian economy,” about nation-building projects and about “building Canada strong.”

But if we are truly serious about the strength of this nation, we must talk about our most fundamental national asset: the soil beneath our feet. Soil is a strategic national asset, and its health, enhancement, conservation and protection must be paramount in national policy discussions. Farmers need an effective regulatory framework to ensure they have the support to understand, manage and build soil health. I believe this strategy can help get us there.

Before concluding, I would like to applaud Senator Black for his tireless efforts in championing this cause — as one might say, getting his hands dirty — for years. The government’s announcement this morning is a well-deserved victory. Congratulations to Senator Black and to all of Canadian agriculture on the launch of a National Agricultural Soil Health Strategy. Thank you.

Would the senator take a question?

Sure.

Thank you. I have a poor memory, so can you remind me what you carried through the Senate Chamber when you were sworn in a year or so ago, please?

Two years and a few days ago, as Senator Black was my sponsor and walked down the aisle with me, I did carry a small vial of soil from my family farm.

Are senators ready for the question?

Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(Motion agreed to and bill, as amended, read third time and passed.)