Policy Briefs

Ahead of the 2025 federal election, the Simpson Centre surveyed 979 Canadian farmers to better understand their political alignment and top policy concerns. The findings shed light on which federal party farmers believe represents them best, and reveal how farm income, region, and sector shape voting tendencies and policy priorities.

The Simpson Centre’s national farmer survey ahead of the 2025 federal election reveals a mixed landscape of institutional trust and environmental policy perceptions across Canada. While farmers place higher confidence in provincial ministries and service-oriented agencies, many express scepticism toward federal regulators and call for more balanced, innovation-driven approaches to environmental and water management.

Canadian farmers are calling for tax and trade policies that support long-term business stability, farm succession, and export diversification. The Simpson Centre’s survey also reveals nuanced views on labour and immigration.

Regenerative agriculture (RA) has gained attention as a new approach to farming that aims to go beyond sustainability. Despite the growing interest, there is no widely accepted definition for RA and that increases the risk for co-optation, hampers promotion and public action, and undermines incentivizing programs for adoption. For RA to realize its promise, it will need to merge with the corporate industrial agrifood system, and it can draw on lessons from the Organic Agriculture (OA) movement to do so.

Regenerative Agriculture (RA) is gaining traction in Alberta, offering solutions to climate challenges, enhancing soil health, and promoting sustainable farming. This brief explores successes, barriers, opportunities, and policy recommendations to support RA in Alberta.