Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, I have risen on a number of occasions in this chamber and in the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to speak of the importance of soil health. Today I would like to highlight National Soil Conservation Week, which was held from April 17 to 23 this year.

Each year, the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, or SCCC, leads National Soil Conservation Week during the third week of April. This week-long event is a perfect opportunity to highlight the importance of soil health and soil science to Canada’s economy, environment and future.

As you well know, I have long advocated for a soil health study at our Agriculture and Forestry Committee. During the last sitting week, I was pleased to give notice of an order of reference on such a study, and in fact it was passed in this chamber yesterday evening. I’m very much looking forward to the committee undertaking this study, and I’m hopeful that it will connect with Canadians from all walks of life by introducing soil health through a variety of lenses, including that of food security, environmental conservation and carbon sequestration, among others.

At this time, I would also like to give a shout-out to Jim Tokarchuk of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada and Glenn Munroe of the Compost Council of Canada, as well as the Metcalf Foundation, for their work to develop A Roadmap for Optimizing Carbon Sequestration in Canada’s Managed Soils, which was released earlier this month.

It is clear that improving soil health is not a one-size-fits-all endeavour across Canada’s varied landscape. However, it is also clear that soil organic carbon is considered the key indicator of healthy, productive and resilient soils. I am delighted to see this road map prioritized, increasing knowledge of how carbon moves into soils and what Canadians can do to keep it there.

I would like to thank everyone involved in the development of the road map for all their hard work to strengthen the health of Canadian soils as well as the team at the Soil Conservation Council of Canada for their continued dedication to soil health.

I’m certain that the road map will play an important part in ensuring the long-term viability of our country’s soils and in guiding the future decisions of farmers and governments at all levels.

Honourable senators, as we also recently celebrated Earth Day, I encourage you to consider the important role that soil health plays in our environment, the future of this country and, inevitably, the world. It’s intrinsically linked to the health of its ecosystem, which itself hinges on soil health. Meegwetch, thank you.

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