The Agricultural producers union (UPA) are calling on Quebec to make the protection of agricultural land a provincial priority in order to put a stop to what it describes as the “underhanded dispossession” of the land that feeds Quebecers. The UPA will be heard on Tuesday by the Commission de l’aménagement du territoire at the opening of its consultations on Bill 86, “An Act to ensure the long-term preservation and vitality of agricultural land.” The UPA supports the bill, but is concerned about certain aspects of it which, according to its president, Martin Caron, open too many doors to non-agricultural uses. In a news release issued prior to its appearance before the Commission, the UPA pointed out that “the agricultural zone represents only about four per cent of Quebec’s territory, yet it continues to be eaten away by urban sprawl, the activities of financial and property speculators, industrial projects and infrastructure construction.” Loss of 12 football fields a day The UPA argues that the net result of additions to agricultural land minus exclusions and the permission of non-agricultural uses, “the agricultural zone is in deficit by around 57,000 hectares from 1998 to 2022, or the equivalent of 12 football fields a day for 25 years.” Concerns about Bill 86 include allowing the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec (CPTAQ) to make decisions in favour of dezoning without going through a preliminary orientation, introducing additional flexibilities for non-agricultural uses - agri-tourism and commercial uses in particular - and allowing certain non-agricultural uses deemed to have “no impact” to proceed without CPTAQ authorization. The union representing agricultural producers also takes issue with the fact that there are no restrictions on the use of orders-in-council to bypass the CPTAQ, and that the bill “does not address the pressure generated by the growing number of energy projects being set up on agricultural land.” He also condemned the absence of provisions to curb the proliferation of non-agricultural uses without proper agricultural dezoning, including the construction of residences, businesses, industries, mines, and road, energy or telecommunications infrastructure. A silent threat The UPA insists that protecting agricultural land “is also a strategic responsibility of the Quebec government, as threats to the food security of our fellow citizens are becoming more numerous and frequent,” it writes, citing climate change, pandemics, trade wars and threats from the Trump administration. “Legislative changes to the current protection regime must lead to a significant easing of the pressure that has always been exerted on agricultural land,” said Caron. “This is why it is essential to add provisions to the bill to curb the proliferation of non-agricultural uses. These disguised exclusions represent a silent but very real threat to Quebecers’ food ambitions.” However, the legislator’s intention is clearly to improve the protection of agricultural land. When he introduced his bill at the end of 2024, Agriculture Minister André Lamontagne expressed a desire to combat the purchase of land by foreign investors. In fact, as soon as the bill was tabled in early December, a number of prohibitions were introduced that will remain in force until the bill is passed. These include the acquisition of farmland by an investment fund and the acquisition, in certain circumstances, of farmland located 1,000 metres or less from an urbanization perimeter. The construction of greenhouses or other large-scale plant production buildings located mainly on land of very good agronomic quality and the construction of a second home in a residential acquired rights area are also prohibited until further notice. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 28, 2025.
