Our Written Submission to the Public Consultation on the Next Agricultural Policy Framework

July 6, 2026

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June 29, 2026

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
131 Baseline Road
Ottawa ON K1A 0C5

Submitted via online consultation portal

Re: Submission to the public consultation on the Next Agricultural Policy Framework

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce welcomes the opportunity to contribute to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s consultation on the Next Agricultural Policy Framework (NPF). The Canadian Chamber represents over 200,000 businesses of all sizes, in all sectors, and in all regions of the country. Since the NPF provides most public programming for the agriculture and agri-food sector, we are eager to see the Framework address a new context and set of challenges to support this vital sector for communities across the country.

Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector contributes approximately $150 billion to GDP annually and accounts for nearly one in nine jobs in Canada. It is a leader in our trade diversification efforts, generating roughly $100 billion in exports each year. As the geopolitical landscape continues to evolve and grows more unstable, our position as a key source of food and agricultural commodities is a significant asset that can be leveraged to achieve our broader international policy objectives. Indeed, Canada is one of the few countries globally with the ability to be a net exporter of food and commodities.

However, the evolution of the geopolitical order is also creating a set of challenges for the sector: armed conflict, supply chain disruptions, and the growing use of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers are threatening access to international markets on which our sector relies and which underpin its growth potential. These challenges have been compounded by frequent labour disruptions affecting transportation infrastructure, as well as a lack of long-term investments to expand transportation infrastructure capacity. In the last several years, Canada’s global market share has slipped, even though total exports have grown. Left unaddressed, this trend means that we will cede the opportunities of growing global agricultural demand to other countries.

International instability and rising food costs are refocusing our attention on domestic food security. Canada currently ranks among the least favourable economies in terms of administrative and regulatory burden, ranking 32 out of 38 as tracked by the OECD1. Supporting Canadian producers and creating a competitive environment that reduces financial and regulatory burdens is critical for the sector’s sustainability and for reducing pressure on consumer food prices. While regulatory modernization is outside the scope of the NPF, the framework could be used to implement structures to foster dialogue and alignment between governments on addressing red tape and regulatory burden.

As we move from the Guelph Statement towards a new vision for the agriculture and agri-food sector, our focus must shift to economic competitiveness and growth. The NPF provides an opportunity to embed a whole-government approach to agriculture; one that elevates the importance of agriculture and agri-food across Cabinets and departments and consistently addresses barriers to agricultural productivity. This will best be achieved by allocating additional resources to international trade, market development and productivity growth. Amidst heightened geopolitical and trade uncertainty, business risk management (BRM) programs will remain essential for enhancing the competitiveness of our agriculture and agri-food sector.

To address these challenges and position the sector for long-term growth, the Canadian Chamber offers the following recommendations for the NPF:

1. Support market expansion and research and innovation

Expanding access to international markets is critical to the success of Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector. In recent years, geopolitical shocks have disrupted the sector’s access to its most critical markets and continue to create uncertainty. For Canada to play a key role in global food security through the growth of the agriculture and agri-food sector, we must ensure that farmers and ranchers have the right tools and secure strategic and reciprocal trade opportunities. Given the proximity and size of the American market, it accounts for most of our agri-food exports. While the government has long sought to diversify trading patterns, the dependence of agri-food exports on the American market has grown in the past decade, according to WTO data.

Funding for AgriMarketing, which supports producers and industry in efforts to reach new markets and grow their exports, has been static over the past decade. To respond to the current geopolitical and trade uncertainty, funding should be increased. This will strengthen the capacity of producers and industry to reach new, high-potential markets. In so doing, we must keep in mind that it is equally important to maintain and invest in established export markets. AgriMarketing could be further strengthened with rapid-response activities tailored to address tariff and non-tariff barriers, mitigate trade disruptions, and seize time-sensitive market opportunities, backed by administrative processes responsive enough to keep pace with changing market conditions.

Investment in research and development will also be critical to support innovation and productivity growth, which will increase our international competitiveness. However, funding for AgriScience has also been static in the past decade. Increased funding for research and development can support the development of new technologies, crop and forage varieties, on-farm practices and food safety and innovation, generating new opportunities for Canadian agri-businesses both at home and abroad. The impact of AgriScience can be further strengthened by reframing the cluster program around industry priorities and removing the minimum requirements for projects relating to GHG emission reductions. It is also important that the Clusters provide stable, multi-year support for the development and long-term sustainability of effective, industry-led agricultural extension capacity. Credible, practical, trusted knowledge mobilization is best designed and delivered by industry in close partnership with producers and researchers.

Supporting market expansion and productivity growth should also include maintaining AgriAssurance funding to continue supporting industry-led assurance programming and certification that directly impact public trust and market expectations, requirements and access.

2. Preserve and then enhance important role of business risk management programming

As geopolitical and environmental risk intensifies, enhancing the role of business risk management (BRM) programs will be critical. These programs help farmers manage risk due to unforeseen circumstances, such as environmental events or trade disruptions resulting in market access loss. By creating a more predictable environment, they encourage producers to take risk and invest in their operations to remain globally competitive and leaders in sustainability. BRM therefore works hand in hand with strategic initiatives like AgriScience and AgriMarketing. As risks for producers increase, these programs will continue to play an essential role in preserving the viability of farm operations. BRM programs could be enhanced by improving coverage levels, simplifying program design and accelerating payment timelines. As the frequency of disruptions to farmer income increases due to geopolitical uncertainty, AgriStability payment triggers could likewise be improved.

3. Foster federal-provincial regulatory alignment and harmonization

The competitiveness of the Canadian industry depends on timely and affordable access to the latest innovations in areas such as crop sciences, fertilizers and animal health. Provinces and territories can collaborate to build on progress under the Red Tape Reduction Initiative by continually reducing administrative burden and red tape and harmonizing regulations. These efforts can support increased interprovincial trade, where doing so would create economic benefits without jeopardizing international market access. While addressing regulatory irritants is typically outside the scope of the NPF, it can be used as a forum to foster dialogue, alignment and accountability. We have seen past efforts to align provinces and territories on regulatory modernization: at the 2024 meeting of federal, provincial and territorial ministers, governments committed to convene a working group “to explore approaches that meet the needs of producers and protect human and ecosystem health, while using a science and evidence-based approach to regulatory decisions.” Such a working group could be reconvened to explore additional pathways for enhancing regulatory alignment and accountability.

4. Promote technology adoption and digitization

Research from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute has shown that technology adoption in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector lags peer jurisdictions3. This translates into lower productivity and a weaker competitive position. With low adoption, the sector also remains more sensitive to chronic labour shortages. Yet, digital agriculture was ignored in the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP). It must be a key pillar in the future framework.

Beyond direct economic benefits to the sector, digital agriculture can also be leveraged to reduce environmental impact, support program delivery and deliver value to farmers and industry. For example, data collection can be used to measure and validate efforts to reduce emissions, unlocking carbon markets for Canadian farmers, and to streamline administration of BRM programs and reward producers undertaking proactive risk mitigation efforts. These efforts should be supported by capacity building for regional farm groups and co-operatives, funding for innovative measurement technologies and field testing, and specialized education and digital literacy awareness campaigns.

5. Improve efficiency of program administration

Under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the delivery of programs has been hindered by inefficiencies and excessive administrative burden. Specifically, stakeholders have experienced challenges with application timelines, program flexibility and cost-share predictability. In certain cases, applicants to programs such as AgriScience have been subjected to lengthy and burdensome information requests, last-minute changes to the cost-share structure, and delayed project approvals, resulting in the loss of critical resources and projects being delayed or abandoned. Administrative processes could be improved through clearer eligibility criteria, streamlined assessments and more predictable timelines. Such changes would enhance program impact.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is committed to working with government and industry to support an ambitious Next Agricultural Policy Framework that reflects the scale of the opportunity before us. We welcome further dialogue and are happy to provide additional details on any of the above recommendations.

Contact
Liam MacDonald
Director, Policy and Government Relations
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
lmacdonald@chamber.ca