SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — National Soil Conservation Week

Honourable senators, as you know, I am a bit of a soils advocate. That is why I’m happy to rise today to put a spotlight on National Soil Conservation Week, which takes place every year during the third full week of April and began just yesterday.

National Soil Conservation Week raises awareness about the vital role that soil plays in sustaining life, communities and ecosystems across this great country. It also calls on Canadians to take action in protecting and improving soil health so that we can work toward a more sustainable future for food production, clean air and water and biodiversity.

Honourable colleagues, you have heard it said before: Soil is the foundation of all life. To quote the Soil Conservation Council of Canada:

Soil is where you make your living. It sustains our rural communities. It grows our food. It even cleans our air and water and supports biodiversity. Whether you make your living as a farmer or enjoy the benefits soil brings to all Canadians, soils have an impact on you.

Yet a major challenge confronting our soils is Canadians’ limited understanding of how essential it is to our livelihoods and well-being.

This is why I am excited that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is collaborating and working with the Soil Conservation Council of Canada to develop the national agricultural soil health strategy, based on Bill S-230, which passed this august chamber just a few short weeks ago. This initiative will not only solidify the government’s commitment to protecting the critical ground under our feet, but it also raises awareness of this vital issue, encouraging Canadians to get their hands dirty and learn about the importance of healthy soil.

Did you know that one gram of soil can harbour up to 10 billion organisms? That’s more than the number of people living on this planet. Further, 95% of our food production relies on healthy soil, yet we are losing topsoil 10 to 40 times faster than it is formed. In fact, around the world, we are told that we are losing the equivalent to 30 football pitches of fertile soil every minute. This should keep us up at night.

If we don’t look after our soil, it will lose its ability to support plant growth, become contaminated or erode away. We must take action now.

Honourable colleagues, I hope you’ll join me in commemorating National Soil Conservation Week 2026 so that we can continue to raise awareness of the realities being faced by our soils and “agvocate” for change to safeguard our social, economic, environmental and human health now and for generations to come.

Thank you. Meegwetch.