$500 Million for Food Security While Cutting Agriculture Research
You volunteer at a food bank watching hamper requests increase weekly. Food security investments sound promising until you read the details. Mark Carney announces $500 million for food suppliers, $150 million for small and medium producers, $20 million for local food infrastructure including food banks. The same week, the government cuts 655 jobs at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada including seven research and breeding centers. GST rebate affordability measures don’t apply to most groceries anyway, so the connection between the rebate and food costs doesn’t exist.
Lesley Kelly identifies the contradiction: claiming food security is a priority while eliminating research capacity for future wheat breeding and crop development. The cuts devastate long-term agricultural innovation while short-term grants provide temporary relief without addressing systemic problems. Jimmy Zoubris notes Canada’s grocery prices increased more than any other G7 country. Food affordability requires protecting the systems that make food, not just distributing temporary cash.
Topics: food security investments, agriculture research cuts, grocery affordability, farm policy, government priorities
How to Spot Separatist Social Media Accounts That Aren’t Canadian
You tweet about Canadian agriculture policy. Separatist social media influence floods your replies within hours. Three or four accounts push Alberta or Quebec separation rhetoric using identical language and hashtags. You click on the profiles. Account created six months ago. Location: not even North America, let alone Canada. The CTV headline reads “Separatist sentiment resurfaces in Alberta and Quebec” but the sentiment might not be Canadian at all. Steve Bannon tours Canada. Outside interference intensifies. Twitter lets you verify account creation dates and locations publicly.
The panel raises alarm about foreign manipulation. Lesley Kelly sees separation replies spike on unrelated agriculture tweets, noting when language and hashtags match perfectly across accounts. Jimmy Zoubris recalls Quebec’s 1995 referendum won by the no side 50.5% to 49%, with accusations of outside influence and federal spending violations. Your social media feed might not reflect Canadian opinion. Account verification takes seconds. Check creation dates. Check locations. Separatist sentiment created by non-Canadian trolls isn’t sentiment at all. It’s interference designed to destabilize, and it’s working.
Topics: separatist social media, outside political interference, election manipulation, troll accounts, Quebec referendum
GUEST: Jimmy Zoubris, Lesley Kelly | highheelsandcanolafields.com
Originally aired on2026-01-26
