Canadian agriculture ministers are gathering in Ottawa this weekend for a series of meetings that will examine current issues in agriculture and a proposed new national agriculture policy.
The ministers say key issues for discussion at the November 16-17 meetings will be the impact of the high Canadian dollar and low livestock prices as well as the status of World Trade Organization (WTO) agriculture negotiations.
Manitoba Agriculture Minister Rosann Wowchuk said the meetings will provide the provinces and federal government an opportunity to achieve a shared solutions to common problems.
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“Canada’s agriculture ministers share a commitment to work together to ensure a strong future for our rural communities,” Wowchuk said in a media release.
New Brunswick Agriculture Minister Ronald Ouelette said the Growing Forward program — which is the proposed replacement for the existing Agriculture Policy Framework (APF) that’s set to expire March 31, 2008 — is a key issue.
“We want to ensure Growing Forward is truly representative of our aspirations to enhance the ability of agriculture to play an important role in this government’s goal of achieving self-sufficiency,” Ouelette said in a media release.
Wowchuk said advancing discussions on non-business risk management issues such as research and development funding, commercialization, environmental sustainability, food safety and enhanced federal funding for global marketing issues will be a Manitoba priority at the meetings.
Along with those issues, Quebec Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard noted it’s necessary for the provinces and federal government to show leadership on the issue of a nationwide traceability system for Canadian food.
Lessard also noted in a release Friday that it’s essential for Ottawa to assure that imported foods are safe and tested to the same level as Canadian-made foods.
The provincial, territorial and federal governments agreed on the main principals and processes for the Growing Forward framework this past June.
