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Quebec has announced a series of measures designed to support Quebec agricultural businesses, including reimbursing the carbon costs for some 16,000 farmers and increasing financial support for the next generation of farmers in the sector.
According to Premier Christine Fréchette, these measures aim to “ease the financial pressure on the agricultural sector” and, in doing so, “strengthen its competitiveness” during this period of trade war with the United States and soaring oil prices.
Premier Christine Fréchette made the announcement in Drummondville during a meeting of partners in the 2025–2035 Bio-Food Policy.
The government will provide $87 million to the Financière agricole du Québec to fund this compensation program. “Through the Financière agricole, we will reimburse farmers directly, by check or direct deposit […] And to make this happen, we are investing more than $40 million a year,” the premier stated.
“Starting next July, farmers will receive their reimbursement for the 2026 season,” she promised. “There won't even be any paperwork to fill out […] It will be done automatically and without delay.”
The measure is expected to benefit nearly 16,000 farmers in Quebec, according to the government.
Ms. Fréchette had pledged to abolish the carbon tax imposed on farmers during the CAQ leadership race. The Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) was quick to remind her of this last April.
The group therefore welcomed the news on Friday. UPA President Martin Caron called it a “major win for the competitiveness and scalability of our businesses.”
“We are confident that the premier will also strive to increase the share of Quebec-grown food in our institutions and reduce the administrative and regulatory burden, as she has committed to doing,” he added in a press release.
In addition, the government is investing $8.8 million in the Financial Support Program for the Next Generation of Farmers. “We are going to increase the financial assistance provided to the next generation of farmers by 30% so that young farmers can take over. This is important,” said Ms. Fréchette.
She also noted that the maximum assistance granted to new farmers will now be $65,000.
The premier also announced the end of the administrative distinction between full-time and part-time young farmers: “From now on, there will be only one broad category: young farmers, period.”
“Farmers play an essential role: they feed Quebecers. To help them do what they do best, we must support them,” she stated in a press release.
“We must produce, process, and consume more locally grown food. By doing so, we can increase our food self-sufficiency and reduce our dependence on foreign markets,” added Agriculture Minister Donald Martel.
