Canada to Plan National Soil Health Strategy

Summary#

This bill requires the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri‑Food to create a national strategy to protect, conserve, and improve soil health. It sets out who must be consulted, what the strategy must cover, and how often the government must report to Parliament and the public. The bill does not create new programs or rules by itself. It sets a timeline to table the strategy within two years and to review progress every three years (Reports to Parliament).

• Develop a Canada‑wide soil health strategy in collaboration with other federal ministers, provinces, territories, Indigenous governing bodies, and municipalities (Bill, development and collaboration).
• Hold public consultations with farmers, industry, and interested people (Bill, public consultation).
• Include measures on policy options, data and monitoring, education and training, and a national soil information system (Bill, content requirements).
• Recommend whether to appoint a National Advocate for Soil Health, and propose targets, timelines, and needed resources (Bill, content — Advocate/targets).
• Table the strategy in Parliament within two years, then publish progress reports every three years (Reports to Parliament).

What it means for you#

• Households

  • No direct changes to daily life or new fees. The bill may lead to public information on soil health after the strategy is tabled (Bill, content — education and information).
  • You may be invited to take part in consultations during the strategy’s development (Bill, public consultation).

• Farmers and agricultural producers

  • No new reporting, permits, or penalties in this bill. It requires consultations and planning only.
  • You can participate in consultations over the next two years as the strategy is developed (Bill, public consultation).
  • The strategy must consider training, knowledge transfer, and technical assistance for producers (Bill, content — education and information).
  • Future data tools, such as a national soil information system, are to be designed, but details will come later (Bill, content — education and information).

• Indigenous governments and communities

  • Formal opportunity to collaborate on the strategy (Bill, collaboration with Indigenous governing bodies).
  • The strategy must recognize Indigenous stewardship practices and knowledge of soil (Bill, content — education and information).

• Provincial/territorial and municipal governments

  • Opportunity to collaborate in developing the strategy; no mandates are imposed by this bill (Bill, collaboration with provinces and municipalities).
  • You may need to coordinate on data, indicators, and education efforts once the strategy is set (Bill, content — knowledge; education and information).

• Researchers, educators, and NGOs

  • The strategy must include measures to analyze soil status and monitor indicators like degradation, nutrients, and carbon (Bill, content — knowledge improvement).
  • Research and knowledge transfer programs are to be encouraged (Bill, content — education and information).

• Timeline

  • Strategy tabled within two years after the Act comes into force, then posted online within 10 days (Reports to Parliament).
  • Progress reports every three years after the first report, also tabled and posted (Reports to Parliament).

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• No explicit appropriations, taxes, or fees are created by the bill (Bill, passim).
• The bill mandates strategy development, consultation, and recurring reports but does not include a fiscal note or cost estimate. Data unavailable.
• Any future costs would depend on the strategy’s recommended targets, programs, and resources, which would require separate funding decisions (Bill, content — targets, timelines, resources).

Proponents' View#

• It creates a clear national plan with shared action across federal, provincial, municipal, and Indigenous partners, reducing fragmentation (Bill, collaboration clauses).
• It fills data gaps by requiring analysis of soil status and monitoring of indicators, and by proposing a national soil information system (Bill, content — knowledge; education and information).
• It supports farmers with education, training, knowledge transfer, and technical assistance to adopt effective soil practices (Bill, content — education and information).
• It sets accountability through a two‑year deadline for the strategy and three‑year public progress reports (Reports to Parliament).
• It elevates soil as a strategic national asset tied to food, fibre, and fuel production that is sustainable and profitable (Bill, content — policy and legislative measures).
• A National Advocate for Soil Health can raise public awareness and keep attention on results (Bill, content — Advocate).

Opponents' View#

• It creates no binding standards or funding, so it could result in plans and reports without on‑the‑ground change (Bill, content and reporting; no appropriations).
• Agriculture and land use are shared or provincial areas; a federal strategy may duplicate existing efforts or create overlap despite the collaboration clauses (Bill, collaboration with provinces and municipalities).
• The two‑year strategy timeline and three‑year review cycle may delay concrete actions while processes are set up (Reports to Parliament).
• Costs are undefined; the strategy must propose targets, timelines, and resources, but the bill does not budget for them, raising risk of unfunded expectations (Bill, content — targets, timelines, resources).
• The proposed National Advocate role is not defined in scope, which could duplicate current departmental outreach or advisory bodies (Bill, content — Advocate).
• Expanded data gathering and monitoring are encouraged, but the bill does not set parameters or safeguards, creating uncertainty about workload and implementation details (Bill, content — knowledge improvement).