Honourable senators, I have risen on a number of occasions in the chamber and in the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to speak on the importance of soil health. Today I would like to highlight the United Nations’ World Soil Day, which took place last Saturday, December 5. This year’s campaign — “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity” — urges us to focus our attention on the workers below ground, from tiny bacteria to agile millipedes and slimy earthworms.

As a long-standing member of Ontario’s agricultural community, I know how important the health of soils is. In fact, since becoming a senator in 2018, I have been consistently meeting with soil health stakeholders, including farmers, scientists and other agri-business owners — experts such as the godfather of soil health, Don Lobb, and academics like his son Dr. David Lobb and his colleagues at the University of Manitoba.

Honourable senators, I have risen on a number of occasions in this chamber and in the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to speak on the importance of soil health. Today I would like to highlight the United Nations World Soil Day that took place last Saturday, December 5. This year’s campaign, “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity,” urges us to focus our attention on the workers underground, from tiny bacteria to agile millipedes and slimy earthworms.

As a long-standing member of Ontario’s agricultural community, I know just how important the health of soils is. In fact, since becoming a senator in 2018, I have consistently been meeting with soil-health stakeholders, including farmers, scientists and other agri-business owners — experts such as the “godfather of soil health,” Don Lobb and academics like his son Dr. David Lobb and his colleagues at the University of Manitoba.

Today, I am pleased to share that I recently communicated my intention to introduce a proposal for a new, updated soil health study at the Agriculture and Forestry Committee.

As honourable senators know, it has been 36 years since the Senate last completed a study on soil health, and in the decades that have passed since that report came out the agricultural landscape has changed and grown. Soil is not a renewable resource, and in 2016 only 7% of Canada’s soil was deemed suitable for agriculture. Although some farmers have transitioned to more soil-friendly practices, such as no-till farming and crop rotations, a concerning amount of Canadian soil has already been eroded.

I am hopeful, if the committee chooses to undertake a soil health study when we next meet to discuss possible topics, that this study will connect Canadians from all walks of life by introducing soil health through a variety of lenses, including that of food security; environmental conservation; the link between air, water quality and soil health; and the role of soil in carbon markets and climate change. History has shown healthy soil to be essential to social, economic and political stability.

Honourable colleagues, we don’t have much time left to save our soil — some say less than 50 years. The future of this country, and inevitably of the world, is intrinsically linked to the health of its ecosystem, which itself hinges upon soil health.

While World Soil Day has passed, I hope you will all get out any time you can, get your hands dirty in some soil and celebrate Canadian biodiversity.

Thank you. Meegwetch.