Canada’s food system faces increasing threats from climate change, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and geopolitical tensions. Despite these challenges, there is no unified national strategy that prioritizes food security on par with national defense. Recognizing food security as a critical component of national security is essential to safeguard the health, economic stability, and sovereignty of Canada.

Tout en insistant sur la nécessité de continuer d’indemniser les producteurs agroalimentaires canadiens qui ont subi des pertes de parts de marchés en raison d’accords commerciaux, le gouvernement fédéral doit défendre de manière proactive les secteurs agricoles régis par le système de gestion de l’offre, soit ceux du lait, des œufs et de la volaille.

Cette industrie est un puissant levier de développement économique rural dans plusieurs provinces. La gestion de l’offre lui permet de jouer ce rôle sans subventions publiques comme celles que versent les États-Unis et l’Europe à leurs producteurs qui convoitent le marché canadien.

Food security and agricultural sustainability are as important now as at any time in Canada’s history. Geopolitical instability is highlighting multiple issues including interprovincial trade barriers, marketing board inconsistencies, tariff threats and inappropriately applied international health and grading regulations.

One area which is fully under the control of Canadian, provincial and local regulators is access to land by farmers. Putting aside agricultural land reserves, under utilization of agricultural land by existing farmers and farming communities is a fixable issue.

Canada’s agricultural sector is at a pivotal juncture, where innovation and sustainability must align with efficient regulatory practices to maintain global competitiveness. The current regulatory framework, while robust in ensuring safety, often presents challenges that can impede the timely introduction of new agronomic tools, including seeds, fertilizers, and pest control products. Improvements are needed to build a system that protects health and the environment while also building predictable entry pathways for the innovative products being created.

Issue: Canada’s federal public service plays a critical role in shaping and implementing policies that directly impact the nation’s economic well-being. However, the current Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector {1} does not explicitly recognise fiscal responsibility or economic stewardship as guiding principles. In an era of increasing fiscal pressures and economic uncertainty, embedding these values into the ethical framework of public service is essential.

To integrate an economic lens into the regulatory decisions of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), ensuring that policies support the viability of all agricultural operations and prevent disruptions to Canada’s food security system.

The increasing complexity and cost of regulatory changes by CFIA and PMRA are disproportionately burdening agricultural producers. This is leading to the closure of many operations, threatening both food security in Canada and the broader agricultural economy.
Without considering the economic impact, these regulations risk undermining the sustainability of the agriculture sector and diminishing Canada’s capacity to feed its population.

Through regulations enacted federally in 1991, selling raw milk in Canada has been illegal due to public health threats. However, increased consumer interest in unpasteurized dairy has renewed discussions on a range of issues linked to its benefits, challenges and risks with a call for a more robust regulatory environment for the production and sale of raw milk in Canada.

To feed the world, we have to grow 10,000 years’ worth of food in the next thirty years, which means agriculture producers worldwide must increase food production by 60 to 70 percent{1}. This demand is met with finite resources in agriculture including land, people, and investment coupled with the high costs of technological adoption and implementation, environmental and regulatory burdens and a lag in specialized education and skill development. The convergence of skills development, new technologies, regulatory and cost controls must all be coordinated to deliver an effective agriculture and agrifood strategy in order to develop the farms of the future.