Deputy ministers’ notes for ministerial appearance

Table of Contents

• Impact of rail blockades on Canadian farmers

  Key messages

  • The Government recognizes that producers are coming off a very challenging year. Recent rail disruptions resulted in difficulties moving products to market and accessing input supplies. These challenges have negatively impacted the sector's reputation as a consistent, reliable supplier with international buyers.
  • While railway recovery efforts are underway, it will take time for the system to return to normal.
  • The Government continues to closely monitor the situation, including the movement of grain and vessel line-ups on the West Coast.
  • The grain industry is a powerful driver for the Canadian economy, and Canadian farmers are known around the world as efficient and reliable suppliers of high quality products.
  • We will continue to seek ways to make the transportation system more resilient. AAFC's Crop Logistics Working Group serves as a valuable forum which brings together industry and government, with a focus on identifying ways to improve the grain handling and transportation system.

  Initiatives/examples

  • The Crop Logistics Working Group, which was recently renewed, held its most recent meeting in late February where it outlined key areas of work, including performance measurement and the identification of future infrastructure needs.
  • AAFC and Transport Canada continue to jointly fund the Grain Monitor Program, which is in place to monitor and assess the performance of the grain handling and transportation system.
  • The Government of Canada has committed more than $10 billion to trade and transportation corridors funding, to help get valuable commodities to market, including agricultural and agri-food products. This includes over $350 million in investments for road and rail infrastructure projects in and around west coast ports, as part of the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF).
  • The Transportation Modernization Act is now delivering a more transparent, fair and efficient freight rail system, and includes a number of new tools and benefits for the grain sector. The Act has led to railway investments in new hopper cars, and additional supply chain transparency with new required railway reporting and planning.

  Sector data

  • Total grain supply for 2019-2020 is estimated to be 82.8 million metric tonnes. The projected supply is 0.9% more than the previous year.
  • Given the challenges to rail services this winter, the current shortfall in grain shipments, as compared to the last crop year, is around 1.286 million metric tonnes, or approximately 14,000 carloads.
  • Year-to-date Western Canadian shipments from port terminal elevators as of Grain Week 30 (the week ending February 29, 2020, which represents the most recent data available) are 3% lower than the same period last year and even with the 3-year average. Country elevator space remains tight as the rail system continues to work towards recovery.
  • For Week 30 (week ending February 29, 2020), car order fulfillment (the rate at which railways fulfill hopper car orders placed by shippers) has shown an improvement over the previous week, however, at 70%, it is below the previous year and 3-year average.
  • Vessel lineups at Vancouver and Prince Rupert are higher than average. As of March 9, 2020, 52 vessels are waiting for grain to arrive. Of those vessels, it is estimated that 32 incur daily demurrage (penalties for delays in loading) and 19 of them face out-of-contract penalties.
  • Since March 7, 2020, 3 vessels have departed Vancouver, and 1 has departed from Prince Rupert.
  • The National Trade Corridors Fund is providing over $350 million in funding to enhance rail and port facilities in Vancouver and Prince Rupert. A couple of specific examples:
    • Expansion of the Zanardi Bridge and Causeway and infrastructure improvements at Ridley Island in Prince Rupert ($110 million)
    • North Shore Corridor capacity improvements and the Burrard Inlet Road and Rail improvement in Vancouver ($145 million)

• Canola seed exports to China

  Key messages

  • Restoring full market access for canola seed exports to China is a top priority for the Government of Canada.
  • The Government is engaging the Government of China on multiple fronts to resolve this important issue, including through technical discussions and senior official dialogue with Chinese officials.
  • Following in-person technical meetings held between Canadian and Chinese officials in Beijing in December 2019, there was an agreement by both countries to continue technical discussions in 2020.
  • Canada looks forward to continuing technical discussions with China in the coming months to find a long-term suitable solution to facilitate the predictable export of canola seeds to China.

  Market diversification

  • Following China's restrictions, Canadian canola seeds exports to China accounted for 19% of Canada's total canola seeds exports in 2019, compared with 47% in 2018.
  • That said, market diversification efforts have helped the sector increase the export market share to other markets. Between 2018 and 2019, Canada's share of canola seeds exports increased from 3% to 16% to the European Union; 4% to 9% to the UAE; and 5% to 9% to Pakistan.
  • We recognize that the domestic production of renewable fuels represents an important opportunity for value-added domestic markets for producers. We are committed to support the growth of renewable fuels within Canada.

  Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak

  • Our current official Government of Canada advice is to avoid non-essential travel to countries that have had a high incidence by COVID-19.
  • While we fully agree that the technical discussions are extremely important, Canada's position is to keep dates for future technical face-to-face meetings open until the COVID-19 situation has become clearer.

  WTO consultations

  • WTO consultations between Canada and China took place in October 2019 in Geneva. Consultations provided an opportunity for important face-to-face discussions.
  • Following consultations between Canada and China in October 2019 in Geneva, Canada continues to explore all options in order to restore full market access for Canadian canola seed.
  • Canada is an ardent supporter of the rules-based trading system. Canada's long-standing practice is to use the WTO to seek resolution to trade disputes when necessary, including with our closest trading partners.

  Responsive only —Expiring 2016 MOU for canola seeds

  • The Government understands that the existing trade conditions that allow for Canadian canola seed exports to China will expire in March 31, 2020.
  • Canadian officials are engaging with Chinese officials to determine conditions for exports of Canadian canola seeds to China after March 31, 2020.
  • Canada has asked China to maintain the existing trade conditions while both sides continue to work to find a long-term suitable solution to facilitate the predictable export of canola seeds to China.

  Responsive – meat exports to China

  • June 25, 2019, CFIA at the request of Customs China stopped issuing export certificates for meat (pork and beef) to China.
  • November 5, 2019, China informed Canada that pork and beef exports could resume immediately.
  • Government of Canada continues to engage with China to restore access for remaining establishments temporarily suspended.

  Initiatives/examples

  • As a response to China's actions on Canadian canola seed, the Government established the Government-Industry Canola Working Group to develop and coordinate strategies on the market access issue with China, market diversification, and support to the sector. The Working Group continues to meet regularly.
  • Minister Bibeau also announced enhanced financial support to producers through the implementation of the new regulations to strengthen the Advance Payments Program (APP). The amendments increase loan limits from $400,000 to $1 million for all producers on a permanent basis and increase the interest-free portion of loans on canola advances from $100,000 to $500,000 in the 2019 program year. Producers of all other commodities can continue to receive up to $100,000 interest-free. The increase in the interest-free limit for 2019 canola advances has allowed close to 6,400 producers to receive more than $1.52 billion in interest free advances, providing them with the added flexibility to manage their farm operations and explore new market opportunities.
  • Through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, programs are supporting the Canola sector. For example, the Canola Council of Canada has a project for $3,643,324 with the AgriMarketing Program, to help the sector reach its market growth goal of 26 million tonnes of sustained market demand and production of canola by 2025. From this funding $1,026,240 is to undertake activities in China to help the sector maintain and grow their sales.

  Meat exports to China

  • The CFIA identified an issue involving inauthentic export certificates specific to exports of meat products to China. As of June 25, 2019, at the request of the General Administration of Customs China (Customs China), the CFIA stopped issuing export certificates for meat (pork and beef) and meat products to China, effectively ending imports of Canadian pork and beef into China.
  • On November 5, 2019, China informed Canada that eligible Canadian establishments could resume pork and beef exports immediately. The CFIA has resumed issuing export certificates for establishments eligible to export to China. The CFIA continues to work with industry to monitor the export certification process for meat and meat products being exported to China. The purpose is to limit preventable non-compliances with Chinese authorities. The Government also continues to engage with China to restore access for the remaining establishments temporarily suspended and the approval of additional establishments.
  • One pork establishment in Quebec remains suspended as a result of the inauthentic certificates. Two other pork establishments in Quebec and Alberta remain suspended and ineligible to export due to unrelated labelling violations in April 2019. The suspended establishments are in Customs China's website publically and CFIA list of eligible establishments to China reflects that these establishments are ineligible.

  Sector data

  • In 2019, canola seed was Canada's largest agricultural export to China and was the second largest canola export market after the United States in that year.
  • In 2019, Canadian canola seed exports to China dropped by approximately 70% in value compared to 2018:

  	2018	2019
  Value	$2.8 billion	$852.9 million
  Quantity	4,872.9 thousand tonnes	1,602.8 thousand tonnes
  Source: CATSNET, 2020

• Engagement with Prairies since March 2019

  • Minister Bibeau met with representatives from all Prairie Provinces during the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Annual Ministers' Conference, July 2019 and during a face-to-face meeting on December 17, 2019. Canola was a key item raised during these conferences.
  • She has had a bilateral meeting with Minister Dreeshen (Alberta) on July 10, 2019 in Calgary, and held a meeting with a delegation from Alberta on December 9, 2019 in Ottawa. In addition, she will be meeting with Minister Dreeshen on March 18, 2020 (forthcoming) as part of an Alberta outreach. Minister Bibeau has also had phone calls with Minister Dreeshen on May 1, 2019 and August 22, 2019.
  • She had a bilateral meeting with Minister Pederson (Manitoba) on February 13, 2020 in Winnipeg and met with Minister Eichler (the former Manitoba Minister) on July 14, 2019.
  • She held a meeting with Saskatchewan Minister Marit during Agribition on November 25, 2019 in Regina, and also met with him and Minister Harrison (Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development) on March 29, 2019 in Saskatoon.
  • Minister Bibeau also held individual calls with all Prairie Ministers in November 2019 following her re-appointment to discuss priorities for the sector including issues pertaining to canola exports to China.
  • Canola and trade with China were a key part of her bilateral discussions with the Prairie Ministers.

• Canadian canola production by province, 2019

  Province	tonnes
  Canada	18,648,800
  Saskatchewan	10,130,500
  Alberta	5,320,100
  Manitoba	3,056,300
  British Columbia	72,000
  Ontario	42,200
  Quebec	25,700
  New Brunswick	1,200
  Prince Edward Island	800
  Newfoundland and Labrador	0
  Nova Scotia	0
  Source: Statistics Canada, Table 32-10-359-01

• Export markets by province, 2019

  Saskatchewan

  Country	Value (Can$)
  Japan	616,603,731
  China	488,813,062
  Mexico	299,066,558
  Pakistan	224,887,687
  United Arab Emirates	206,947,428
  France	184,775,379
  United States	170,709,474
  Germany	69,740,664
  Belgium	65,285,747
  Bangladesh	64,662,971
  Portugal	46,727,539
  Nepal	16,244,446
  Israel	4,860,690
  Malaysia	1,862,158
  Australia	1,207,301
  India	931,999
  Algeria	147,822
  Chile	75,185
  Chad	67,425
  Indonesia	51,101
  Colombia	35,400
  Costa Rica	26,192
  Spain	19,492
  Guatemala	11,766
  Total	2,463,761,217

  Alberta

  Country	Value (Can$)
  Japan	288,774,106
  China	228,925,886
  Mexico	140,061,880
  Pakistan	105,321,683
  United Arab Emirates	96,919,715
  France	86,535,878
  United States	79,948,391
  Germany	32,661,654
  Belgium	30,575,282
  Bangladesh	30,283,617
  Portugal	21,883,915
  Nepal	7,607,764
  Israel	2,276,408
  Malaysia	872,104
  Australia	565,415
  India	436,484
  Algeria	69,230
  Chile	35,213
  Chad	31,577
  Indonesia	23,932
  Colombia	16,579
  Costa Rica	12,266
  Spain	9,129
  Guatemala	5,510
  Total	1,153,853,618

  Manitoba

  Country	Value (Can$)
  Japan	160,095,333
  China	126,915,693
  Mexico	77,649,805
  Pakistan	58,389,962
  United Arab Emirates	53,731,945
  France	47,975,179
  United States	44,323,106
  Germany	18,107,503
  Belgium	16,950,827
  Bangladesh	16,789,130
  Portugal	12,132,363
  Nepal	4,217,715
  Israel	1,262,032
  Malaysia	483,493
  Australia	313,464
  India	241,985
  Algeria	38,380
  Chile	19,522
  Chad	17,506
  Indonesia	13,269
  Colombia	9,191
  Costa Rica	6,800
  Spain	5,061
  Guatemala	3,055
  Total	639,692,319

  British Columbia

  Country	Value (Can$)
  Japan	6,563,046
  China	5,202,862
  Mexico	3,183,225
  Pakistan	2,393,674
  United Arab Emirates	2,202,719
  France	1,966,722
  United States	1,817,010
  Germany	742,310
  Belgium	694,894
  Bangladesh	688,264
  Portugal	497,362
  Nepal	172,909
  Israel	51,737
  Malaysia	19,822
  Australia	12,850
  India	9,921
  Algeria	1,574
  Chile	800
  Chad	718
  Indonesia	543
  Colombia	377
  Costa Rica	279
  Spain	208
  Guatemala	125
  Total	26,223,951

  Ontario

  Country	Value (Can$)
  Japan	2,474,594
  China	1,961,735
  Mexico	1,200,235
  Pakistan	902,532
  United Arab Emirates	830,533
  France	741,551
  United States	685,105
  Germany	279,887
  Belgium	262,009
  Bangladesh	259,510
  Portugal	187,530
  Nepal	65,191
  Israel	19,507
  Malaysia	7,475
  Australia	4,846
  India	3,741
  Algeria	593
  Chile	301
  Chad	271
  Indonesia	205
  Colombia	142
  Costa Rica	106
  Spain	78
  Guatemala	47
  Total	9,887,724

  Quebec

  Country	Value (Can$)
  Japan	1,398,681
  China	1,108,807
  Mexico	678,393
  Pakistan	510,129
  United Arab Emirates	469,433
  France	419,138
  United States	387,243
  Germany	158,198
  Belgium	148,092
  Bangladesh	146,681
  Portugal	105,995
  Nepal	36,848
  Israel	11,025
  Malaysia	4,225
  Australia	2,739
  India	2,114
  Algeria	336
  Chile	171
  Chad	153
  Indonesia	116
  Colombia	81
  Costa Rica	60
  Spain	45
  Guatemala	27
  Total	5,588,730

• Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement's impact on Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector

  Key messages

  • CUSMA maintains the existing, mutually beneficial agriculture relationships between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and safeguards the already highly integrated North American trade environment.
  • The agreement provides continued access to the most important export destination for many of our crop and livestock producers – Canadian agri-food and seafood exports to the U.S. and Mexico totaled $42.0 billion in 2019.
  • Implementation of the new Agreement will provide certainty to the businesses of Canadian farmers, producers and food processors who depend on trade.
  • Critically, the Agreement preserves Canada's existing duty-free access to the U.S. and Mexico, and provides new access for Canadian exports of refined sugar, sugar-containing products, and certain dairy products.
  • CUSMA contains new provisions that recognize and support innovation and facilitate trade in products of agricultural biotechnology.
  • The Agreement also reduces trade costs and red tape at the border for our producers and exporters, helping them to trade more efficiently and increasing their competitiveness in the region.
  • CUSMA provides limited access into Canada for certain dairy, poultry and egg products, but preserves the supply management system, ensuring that its integrity will be maintained long into the future.
  • The Government will continue to work in partnership with all sectors under supply management to address future impacts of the CUSMA, and stands by its commitment to fully and fairly compensate for the CUSMA.

  Responsive – if asked about Canada's dairy export thresholds and export charges

  • Outcome was unique response to strong U.S. concerns with respect to exports of a limited number of specific products that are produced under Canada’s dairy supply management system.
  • Do not in any way consider this a precedent and will continue to pursue an ambitious free trade agreement agenda to open new markets and diversify trade.

  Responsive – if asked about grain grading provisions in the CUSMA/Bill C-4

  • CUSMA will not change how Canadian grain is delivered in the primary elevator system in Canada, nor will it affect our grain quality assurance system or the quality of Canadian exports.
  • U.S. producers who deliver grain in Canada will be subject to the same safety and quality rules and regulations as Canadian producers, including variety registration.

  Responsive – if asked Canada's market access gains for agriculture and agri-food products

  • The Agreement includes a number of positive outcomes for Canada's export-oriented agriculture and agri-food sector, including maintaining existing duty-free access for Canadian exports of refined sugar, sugar-containing products and certain dairy products including cheese, cream and butter.
  • It also eliminates U.S. tariffs on whey products, peanut butter and margarine, and provides a more liberal rule of origin for margarine.

  Initiative

  • The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) was signed by leaders on November 30, 2018. Subsequently, on December 10, 2019, the 3 parties signed a Protocol of Amendment.
  • The U.S. completed its ratification process in January 2020. The Mexican Senate passed the Agreement and its amending protocol in 2019, and is expected to complete its process without delay.
  • Canada tabled its implementing legislation (Bill C-4) in Parliament on January 29, 2020. The House Standing Committee on International Trade (CIIT) completed its review of Bill C-4 on February 27.
  • As part of the overall balanced outcome, Canada provided the U.S. with additional access for certain supply-managed goods; committed to eliminate milk classes 6 and 7; and will monitor global exports of certain dairy products and apply charges above agreed thresholds.
  • As part of the CUSMA, Canada agreed to allow U.S. wheat varieties that are registered in Canada to receive an official Canadian grain grade. Canada also agreed to remove requirements for official inspection certificates to indicate that U.S. wheat is of foreign or mixed origin, unless it is in relation to phytosanitary or customs requirements of an importing country.
  • The Canada Grain Act will be amended to permit wheat grown in the U.S., but of a variety registered in Canada, to receive a statutory Canadian grain grade. Further, following changes to the Canada Grain Act, the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) will make consequential amendments to the Canada Grain Regulations.
  • This change will have minimal impact on the Canadian grain sector. The quality of Canadian wheat will not be compromised since wheat is required to be of a registered variety in Canada in order to receive an official Canadian grade, whether it is grown in Canada or the U.S.

  Sector data

  • Canada and the U.S. benefit from highly integrated supply chains with bilateral agriculture and seafood trade totalling C$66.0 billion in 2019, of which Canadian exports totaled $37.3 billion.
  • Mexico was Canada's fourth-largest export market for agri-food and seafood products in 2019, with bilateral agricultural trade between Mexico and Canada reaching C$4.7 billion that year. (Please note – Mexico was 5th largest market in 2019 if EU28 counted as one market)

• Comprehensive review of the allocation and administration of tariff rate quotas for dairy, poultry and egg products

  Key messages

  • Import controls are one of the pillars of supply management and are important for our farmers and their families. The Government of Canada will defend supply management and our farmers that depend on it.
  • The objective of the comprehensive review is to create long-term allocation and administration policies to ensure continued efficiency and effectiveness of Canada’s tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for dairy, poultry and egg products.
  • Long-term TRQ allocation and administration policies will be compliant with Canada’s international trade obligations and will support the long-term viability of supply management.
  • The comprehensive review is an inclusive process with two phases of consultations involving provincial governments, stakeholders across the entire value chain, including primary processors, distributors, further processors, etc., and international trading partners.
  • The Government of Canada will consider all feedback received and take into account the economic realities of today.
  • AAFC supports allocation methods that mitigate the impact of market access commitments on the supply management system, while also limiting market disruptions in a manner that is compliant with our international trade obligations.

  Responsive – if asked about stakeholder consultations

  • The consultative process includes cross-Canada outreach with industry stakeholders in partnership with the provinces, tariff rate quota advisory committees (composed of industry representatives), as well as meetings with key international trading partners.
  • Feedback from the first phase of consultations informed the development of a range of policy options.
  • The options are for further consultation. Stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback and also alternative options, if desired.

  Responsive – if asked about concerns being raised by stakeholders on draft policy options (e.g., elimination of historical allocations and non-import control list pools)

  • The range of policy options is non-exhaustive. Stakeholders are encouraged to make their views known during the second phase of consultations that will continue until April 3, 2020.
  • The Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade will make a final decision by September 1, 2020.
  • It is important that long term allocation policies reflect current market dynamics, encourage fairness and transparency, address market concentration, and improve competitiveness.

  Responsive – if asked about next steps

  • Officials will review and consider all feedback received throughout the consultative process.
  • Final policies and Notices to Importers will be published on September 1, 2020 and be effective for the beginning of the quota year on January 1, 2021.

  Initiative

  • On May 10, 2019, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) launched the first phase of the comprehensive review of the allocation and administration of Canada’s TRQs for dairy, poultry and egg products.
  • This includes Canada’s 16 global TRQs at the World Trade Organization (WTO), 2 cheese TRQs under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), 20 TRQs under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and eventually the 16 new TRQs under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
  • GAC received approximately 200 submissions and held over 60 meetings with stakeholders in the first phase of consultations.
  • The second phase of consultations began on February 14, 2020 and will close on April 3, 2020. They will include regional outreach, meetings in Ottawa and the opportunity for stakeholders to provide written submissions on a range of published draft policy options. Allocation options range from status quo to the elimination of historical holders and allocations across the entire value chain. A range of options concerning various administrative elements (e.g., transfer and return policies) has also been published for further consultation.
  • The feedback received from this second phase of the consultations will guide the formulation of the final policies and inform the decision of the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.
  • The long-term allocation and administration policies for each TRQ will be published on September 1, 2020 and will be effective for the next quota year starting on January 1, 2021.

  Sector data

  • In 2019, GAC issued over 25,000 import permits for dairy, poultry and egg products valued at $1.41 billion.
  • In the first phase of consultations, the dairy sector garnered the most interest in the comprehensive review process.
  • A majority of stakeholders recognize that rapidly changing markets have made it necessary for Canada to adjust TRQ allocation and administration policies in order to remain competitive.

• Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement

  Key messages

  • CETA opens new agriculture and agri-food market opportunities for Canadian exporters in the EU. CETA strengthens economic relations, which will encourage investment, open markets, create jobs, promote new economic opportunities for Canadian businesses and benefit Canadian consumers.
  • With almost 94% of EU agriculture tariffs duty free under CETA, Canadian exporters now have an advantage over competitors in countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the EU. When CETA is fully implemented, over 95% of EU agricultural tariff lines will be duty-free.
  • There have been many positive gains for Canadian exports benefiting from tariff reductions under CETA, including cranberries, frozen fruits and nuts, frozen lobsters, sweet potatoes, frozen scallops and beef.
  • In 2019, Canadian exports to the EU increased substantially. Agri-food exports were up 31.9%; and fish and seafood exports were up 13.2%, compared to 2018.

  Initiatives/examples

  • The Government continues to encourage exporters to explore the European Union market and guide them in their efforts to become export ready, in order to capitalize on the opportunities under CETA.
  • The Dairy Farm Investment Program ($250 million over 5 years) and the Dairy Processing Investment Fund ($100 million over 4 years) help dairy farmers and processors adjust to EU cheese imports under CETA.
  • The Canadian Agricultural Partnership supports the expansion of domestic and international markets and enhances the sector's ability to seize and diversify these markets.

  Sector data

  • In 2019, Canadian exports of agri-food to the EU increased by 31.9% (from $2.6B to $3.5B) when compared to 2018.
  • In 2019, Canadian exports of fish and seafood products to the EU increased by 13.2% (from $453.1M to $513.0M) when compared to 2018.
  • Canada's top three exports were
    1. soybeans — up 179.7% from $241.2M to $674.8M
    2. canola seeds — up 241.4% from $187.4M to $639.6M
    3. durum wheat — up 145.2% from $129.3M to $317.2M
  • Canadian imports from the EU went up 3.9% (from $6.3B to $6.6B).
  • Canada's top three imports from the EU in 2019 were:
    • grape wines — up 2.8% from $1.1B to $1.2B
    • beer — down 6.0% from $442.9M to $416.4M
    • cheese — up 12.3% from $231.9M to $260.5M

• Pulse trade with India

  Key messages

  • Maintaining long-term, sustainable market access to India is a priority for Canadian pulse exporters and for the Government.
  • Canada continues to express deep concerns with a number of India's trade restrictive measures, which have been neither consistent nor transparent.
  • In addition to high tariffs on all pulses and imposed quantitative restrictions on dried peas, India has not finalized an arrangement on pulse fumigation despite a Prime Minister-level commitment.
  • Furthermore, India has recently begun delaying and rejecting shipments of lentils citing the presence of weed seeds.
  • We are working closely with Canadian pulse industry stakeholders and we will continue to press India to remove unjustified barriers to trade and to finalize an arrangement on pulse fumigation.

  Initiatives/examples

  • Since 2017, India has applied a number of measures impacting the trade of pulses, including quantitative restrictions, minimum import prices and single port of entry requirements on dry peas. This is primarily in response to domestic politics, farmer concerns, and an oversupply of pulses due to bumper pulse crops in India. Additionally, for the first time in fourteen years, India did not renew Canada's country-specific exemption from India's mandatory fumigation requirements on October 1, 2017.
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  Update on World Trade Organization process:

  • In light of the lack of progress addressing India's trade restrictive measures, Canada is considering all available alternatives, including WTO options, to re-establish unimpeded access for Canadian pulses to India.
  • A recommendation to launch WTO dispute settlement proceedings on India's measures affecting trade on pulses is being considered by the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade (Minister Ng).
  • Minister Ng plans to reach out to her Indian counterpart to inform him of increasing domestic pressure in Canada to launch a WTO challenge of India's trade-restricting measures. Minister Ng would like to have this discussion with her Indian counterpart prior to making a decision on whether to proceed with a request for consultations under the WTO dispute settlement process.

  Sector data

  Canada's total pulse exports to India

  	million $
  2017	929
  2018	158
  2019	421

• Trade with Italy

  Key messages

  • Canadian durum wheat is among the highest quality in the world. Italians have depended on Canadian durum wheat for pasta production for more than a century.
  • In 2019, Canada was the top source of imported durum for Italy.
  • The Government will continue to consult and cooperate with our industry stakeholders and provincial partners  in defending the interests of the Canadian wheat sector abroad.
  • Canada continues to raise concerns with Italy and with the European Commission with respect to the Italian country of origin labelling (COOL) measure for pasta.
  • We have been assured by the European Commission that once the voluntary EU-wide country-of-origin labelling measure comes into force on April 1, 2020, country specific measures, such as the Italian COOL measure, will cease to exist. Canada will closely monitor all developments.

  Initiatives/examples

  • Canada is committed to continuing to work with its durum wheat industry and provinces to determine a constructive way forward, which would fight misinformation, restore consumer confidence and increase exports

  Sector data

  • Between 2013-2017, the average annual value of exports of Canadian durum wheat was $342 million (900,000 tonnes).
  • In 2018, Canada's exports of durum wheat were worth $93 million (292,675 tonnes), which was a drop of 57% from 2017 and a drop of 68% from the previous five-year average.
  • In 2019, Canada's exports of durum wheat increased by 201% to $274 M (880,628 tonnes), making Canada again the top source of imported durum for Italy in 2019.
  • Canada's share of Italian durum imports last year was 31.1% (2019) vs. 4 years ago 46.3% (2015).
  • While Canada remains the top supplier to Italy in 2019, the supply fell by 46% based on the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the period of 2015-2019.

• Pollution pricing and grain drying

  Key messages

  • Carbon pollution pricing remains an important part of Canada's plan to transition to a cleaner and more innovative economy that reduces emissions and protects our environment.
  • Farmers and farm families are important drivers of the Canadian economy, and the federal carbon pollution pricing system has been designed to limit its impact on the agriculture sector.
  • The Government has committed to return all direct proceeds of carbon pollution pricing collected through direct payments to families and through support to other affected sectors, including small- and medium-sized enterprises in the agriculture sector.
  • Currently, the federal carbon pollution pricing system applies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nunavut and Yukon.
  • The additional cost from carbon pollution pricing to grain drying cost represents less than 1% of total operating expenses for an average farm.
  • In Ontario, the energy expenses with carbon pollution pricing as a share of total operating income represents less than ██ for grain and oilseed farms on average, and would represent almost ██ for greenhouses without the partial rebate for propane and natural gas.

  Initiatives/examples

  • Under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the governments of Canada and Alberta recently announced a cost-shared investment of $2 million for the Efficient Grain Dryer Program that will help cover the costs for eligible energy efficient grain drying equipment. Under the Partnership, farmers also have access to a suite of Business Risk Management programs to help manage significant market volatility and risks beyond their control.
  • The Government has committed to return all direct proceeds of carbon pollution pricing collected through direct payments to families and through support to other affected sectors. The bulk of the direct proceeds collected through the fuel charge is being returned directly to individuals and families through tax-free Climate Action Incentive payments. There is also the Climate Action Incentive Fund which has a stream for small- and medium-sized enterprises, including agricultural enterprises.

  Sector data

  • Currently, the federal carbon pollution pricing system applies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nunavut and Yukon.
  • The data provided shows that the carbon pricing cost on grain drying is an average of ████ in Ontario, ██████ in Manitoba and ████ in Alberta. However, each farm situation is unique and carbon pricing affects them differently.
  • The added fuel expenses and the carbon pricing cost have increased the total production cost for farmers in 2019. AAFC recognizes that the data provided by provinces are reasonable estimates of the incurred costs. However, those estimates represent a relatively small share of farmers' total operating expenses.
  • The additional cost from carbon pollution pricing to grain drying cost represents less than 1% of total operating expenses for an average farm.
  • In Ontario, the energy expenses with carbon pollution pricing as a share of total operating income represents less than ██ for grain and oilseed farms on average, and would represent almost ███ for greenhouses without the partial rebate for propane and natural gas.

  Table of data provided for Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan for carbon pricing cost on grain drying

  	Average carbon pricing cost per farm ($)	Average carbon pricing cost by acre ($)	Share of total operating expenses (%)	Total cost from carbon pricing (million $)
  Ontario █████	███	████	███	██
  Manitoba █████	█████	███████	███	███
  Alberta	███	████	████	███
  Saskatchewan ██████	██	████	██	██
  Canada █████	███	██	████	██

  Drying costs for Ontario grain and oilseed farms vs. heating costs for Ontario greenhouse farms

  	Grain and oilseed farms	Greenhouse farms
  Number of farms	██████	█████
  Total operating expense ($ million)	█████	█████
  Expense of drying / heating fuel ($ million)	██	███
  Expense of drying / heating fuel as a share of total operating expense (%)	████	████
  Implied cost with carbon pricing ($ million)	██	███
  Implied cost with carbon pricing as a share of total operating expense (%)	█████	████
  Total net operating income ($ million)	███	███
  Implied cost with carbon pricing as a share of total operating income (%)	████	█████

• Canadian Agricultural Partnership – Business Risk Management programs

  Key messages

  • Under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, producers continue to have access to a robust suite of Business Risk Management (BRM) programs to help manage significant risks that threaten the viability of their farm and are beyond their capacity to manage.
  • The suite of BRM programs is cost-shared with provinces and territories and provides roughly $1.5 billion in annual support. The varying individual needs of farmers mean that different combinations of BRM programs will work for different farms:
    • AgriInvest for income declines and investments to manage on-farm risk;
    • AgriStability for large margin declines;
    • AgriInsurance for production losses (commonly known as crop insurance);
    • AgriRecovery for extraordinary costs to recover from natural disasters; and,
    • AgriRisk Initiatives for developing new tailored risk management tools.
  • In December 2019, federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers recognized that the risks facing producers have changed and that current programs may need to evolve to meet producers' needs. Directions included:
    • Short term adjustments to the AgriStability program to provide more incentive to use complementary risk management tools, and to reduce application burden;
    • FPT officials are assessing programs' alignment with objectives;
    • Officials are also developing options to make BRM programs more effective, agile, timely, and equitable.

  Initiatives/examples

  • Under CAP, provincial and territorial governments are now able (with the agreement of the federal Minister) to trigger a mechanism to allow producers to enter the AgriStability program late in situations where there is a significant income decline and a gap in participation.
    • Four late participation applications were approved for 2018 (the first year of CAP), primarily due to severe weather events (for example, frost, drought, wildfires, and flooding) impacting farmers. Provinces approved included: British Columbia; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; and, Prince Edward Island.
  • At their meeting in December 2019, FPT Ministers agreed to make changes to AgriStability for the 2020 Program Year, including:
    • Changing how private insurance payments are included in payment calculations in order to incent the use of private risk management tools; and
    • Exploring a pilot project where producers who file their taxes on a cash basis could apply for AgriStability on largely the same basis.
  • FPT Ministers are planning on meeting in April to review the assessment of BRM programs against the objectives laid out in December 2019, and to receive an update on officials' progress towards options to improve effectiveness, timeliness, agility and equitability of BRM programs

  Sector data

  Growing Forward 2 - Summary of FPT program payments

  Federal/provincial contributions, interest costs, payments, premiums and wildlife costs (in $ millions)

  Programs	Program years					Average - GF2	Totals
  	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
  AgriInvest	265.5	267.5	278.7	287.0	290.0	277.7	1,388.7
  AgriStability	311.7	296.8	259.1	503.1	219.3	318.0	1,589.9
  AgriInsurance	1,188.6	942.4	924.0	1,102.2	1,014.4	1,034.3	5,171.6
  AgriRecovery	1.2	4.0	2.2	8.5	20.9	7.4	37.0
  Sub-Totals	1,767.0	1,510.8	1,464.1	1,900.8	1,544.6	1,637.5	8,187.3
  AgriStability Interims - Number	39	117	39	39	25	52	259
  AgriStability Interims - Value	6.0	12.9	3.7	4.2	3.0	6.0	29.9
  Note: Unless otherwise noted, this report contains only program payments. It does not include program expenditures such as administrative costs and other non-payment costs.

  • Producers representing 93.4% total agricultural market receipts participated in the AgriInvest program in 2016, above the target of 85% and down less than 1% compared to 2015.
  • Producers representing 55.8% total agricultural market receipts participated in the AgriStability program in 2016, below the target of 65%, and down 3% compared to 2015.
  • Producers representing 88.2% of the total value of agricultural products eligible (excluding livestock) participated in the AgriInsurance program in 2016, above the target of 75%.
  • Publicly-reported AgriStability expenditures reflect a fiscal year accrual of expected federal program payments and administrative support. Calculation of these expenses is based on forecasted program expenditures for current year and differences between forecasts and actual/projected expenditures for previous program years

  Sector data provided is limited as release of commodity-specific information could put BRM programs at trade risks (in other words, countervail).

  2016 is the latest program year for which complete data is available.

  Statutory programs - Grant and contribution expenditures (1)

  CAP - Business Risk Management (BRM) - Federal share (2)

  Cost shared- Federal portion	Average annual expenditure under GF2 Framework (3)	2018/19 Expenditures - Year 1 of CAP Framework	CAP Statutory authorities (5)
  Agri-Invest	182,369,000	175,134,000	139,500,000
  Agri-Stability	190,765,000	215,244,000	424,200,000
  Agri-Insurance	663,812,000	664,580,000	623,000,000
  Agri-Recovery	4,136,000	894,000	118,513,335
  Sub-total CAP BRM	1,041,082,000	1,055,852,000	1,305,213,335

  CAP - Business Risk Management (BRM) - FPT costs (4)

  Federal and provincial approximate expenditures	Average annual expenditure under GF2 Framework(3)	2018/19 Expenditures - Year 1 of CAP Framework
  Agri-Invest	303,948,333	291,890,000
  Agri-Stability	317,941,667	358,740,000
  Agri-Insurance	1,106,353,333	1,107,633,333
  Agri-Recovery	6,893,333	1,490,000
  Sub-total CAP BRM	1,735,136,667	1,759,753,333

  Notes

  • 1: Grants and Contribution Expenditure includes provincial administration costs.
  • 2: Cost share agreement is 60% Federal and 40% provincial. The first table is only federal contributions. Verified data.
  • 3: The annual average spending is based on the GF2 actuals - Fiscal 2013/14 to 2017/18.
  • 4: The second table derives the data from the federal share using a 60/40 split. Unverified data.
  • 5: The TB Authorities are based on the 5 year CAP BRM submission - Fiscal 2018/19 to 2022/23. Programs are demand driven. The total amount spent may be higher or lower based on demand. Unused Statutory authorities cannot be carried over from one year to the next.

• Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP)

  Key messages

  • The Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the agriculture and agri-food sector and increase its competitiveness, prosperity and sustainability.
  • Extensive consultations with industry and Canadians informed the development of the new agreement, which came into effect on April 1, 2018, and builds on the success of previous FPT agricultural frameworks. Governments will continue to work closely with the sector as Canadian Agricultural Partnershipprograms are implemented, to reflect the diverse needs across Canada, including the North.
    • The Partnership features simplified, streamlined, and accessible programs and services as well as key enhancements to programs that help farmers manage significant risks that threaten the viability of their farm and are beyond their capacity to manage.
    • The Government will continue to evaluate programming offered under the Partnership to draw lessons as it looks forward to the negotiation of the next policy framework with provincial and territorial partners, which will ultimately be launched in April 2023.

  Initiatives/examples

  • CAP focuses on six key priority areas:
    1. Science, Research, and Innovation;
    2. Markets and Trade;
    3. Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change;
    4. Value-added Agriculture and Agri-food Processing;
    5. Public Trust; and,
    6. Risk Management.
  • Under the Partnership, FPT governments agreed to strengthen the ability to improve the sharing, communicating, and reporting of results.
    • Over $450 million was spent in 2018-2019 under the cost-shared and federal strategic initiatives. Of this investment, approximately $345 million was comprised of funding for cost-shared programming, while the remainder ($105 million) was dedicated to funding for federal strategic initiatives.

  Sector data

  Canadian Agricultural Partnership year 1 expenditures (2018-2019)

  Priority areas under the partnership	Cost shared initiatives ($)		Federal strategic initiatives ($)	Total ($)
  	PT portion	Federal portion
  Markets and Trade	28,751,812	35,104,788	30,961,237	94,817,837
  Science, Research and Innovation	45,071,779	52,861,556	69,306,313	167,239,648
  Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change	69,059,491	39,118,426	*	108,177,917
  Value-Added Agriculture and Agri-Food Processing	4,403,987	19,841,038	*	24,245,025
  Public Trust	1,954,906	4,378,853	2,468,647	8,802,406
  Risk Management	23,636,917	21,531,509	8,175,166	53,343,592
  Total	172,878,892	172,836,170	110,911,363	456,626,425

  Overall, Federal Strategic Initiatives align financially with the Science, Research, and Innovation Priority Area, but individual projects can focus on components of the Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change and Value Added Agriculture and Agri Food Processing Priority Areas.

  Programs under the Canadian agricultural partnership

  Program name	Priority area addressed	Funding over 5 years ($)
  AgriScience Program Science, Research and Innovation priority area	Supports pre-commercialization activities and invests in cutting edge research to benefit the sector. AgriScience – Clusters: supports industry-led and commodity specific science and research projects that address priority themes and horizontal issues, and coordinate research activities across Canada. AgriScience – Projects: supports specific shorter-term science projects to help industry overcome challenges and address fiscal barriers experienced by small and emerging sectors.	338 million
  AgriInnovate Program Science, Research and Innovation priority area	Aims to accelerate the demonstration, commercialization, and/or adoption of innovative agri-based products, technologies, processes or services that increase agri-sector competitiveness and sustainability.	128 million
  AgriMarketing Program Markets and Trade priority Area	Provides national industry association's with matching funding to help them address market access issues impacting their sector, and implement market development strategies to develop, maintain, or expand new and existing markets	121 million
  AgriAssurance Program Public Trust priority area	Funding is offered through two components: National Industry Association component: Funding provided will assist industry associations develop assurance systems, standards or tools such as food safety, animal and plant health surveillance, animal welfare, environmental sustainability, traceability, etc. Small and medium-sized enterprises component: Funding provided will assist for-profit organizations obtain third-party certification when it is required to meet an export opportunity.	74 million
  AgriCompetitiveness Program Markets and Trade priority area	Assists industry-led efforts to provide producers with information needed to build capacity and support the sector's development as well as activities to raise agricultural awareness. Projects have been funded with organizations such as 4-H Canada, Farm Management Council and the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.	20.5 million
  AgriDiversity Markets and Trade priority area	Helps under-represented groups in Canadian agriculture, including youth, women, Indigenous Peoples, and persons with disabilities, to fully participate in the sector.	5 million
  FPT Cost-Shared Programs	The Partnership's cost-shared funding with provinces and territories focuses on six priority areas: Science, Research and Innovation – Helping industry adopt practices to improve resiliency and productivity through research and innovation in key areas. Markets and Trade – Opening new markets and helping farmers and food processors improve their competitiveness through skills development, improved export capacity, underpinned by a strong and efficient regulatory system. Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change – Building sector capacity to mitigate agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment and adapt to climate change by enhancing sustainable growth, while increasing production. Value-added Agriculture and Agri-food Processing – Supporting the continued growth of the value-added agriculture and agri-food processing sector. Public Trust – Building a firm foundation for public trust in the sector through improved assurance systems in food safety and plant and animal health, stronger traceability and effective regulations. Risk Management – Enabling proactive and effective risk management, mitigation and adaptation to facilitate a resilient sector by working to ensure programs are comprehensive, responsive and accessible.	2 billion

• Advance Payments Program: helping with difficult harvest

  Key messages

  • The Advance Payments Program (APP) is a federal loan guarantee program that provides agricultural producers with access to low-interest cash advances. The advances help provide marketing flexibility, allowing producers to sell their products based on market conditions rather than the need for cash flow.
  • The Government made rapid changes in 2019 to the Advance Payments Program to help producers manage cash flow by increasing the loan limit from $400,000 to $1 million. An additional $585 million has been provided to approximately 13,000 grains and oilseeds' producers.
  • The Government also provided a stay of default for grain, oilseed and pulse productions, which delayed the reimbursement of the 2018 APP advances by 6 months, from September 30, 2019, to March 31, 2020.
  • Producers have the option to repay their 2018 outstanding advances with amounts advanced under the 2019 program year, and these advances are available until March 31, 2020. They will have to be repaid by September 30, 2020 and currently, there is no indications of impending defaults.
  • As of April 1, 2020, producers can access up to $1 million in 2020 advances, including the $100,000 interest-free to address cash flow needs. The repayment deadline is September 30, 2021.
  • If an APP administrator makes the request, the Government has the authority to implement another stay of default if producers are facing significant challenges repaying their advances.
  • To date, no APP administrator has requested a stay of default to further extend the repayment deadline for 2018 advances.
  • The APP default rate is low at approximately 4% of advances. If APP administrators are unable to collected defaulted advances, then the Government takes on the responsibility to collect to the debt (approximately 1% of advances).
  • Producers facing difficulties repaying their farm debts, including their APP advances, can register with the Farm Debt Mediation Service, which can help develop a plan to repay creditors.

  Initiatives/examples

  • For the 2019 program year, the APP has issued over $2.9 billion in advances to date to approximately 21,000 producers, an increase of 27% from 2018. Producers have until March 31, 2020, to obtain a 2019 advance and until September 30, 2020, to repay these advances.
  • Close to 5,000 grains, oilseeds and pulses producers participated in the 8 month stay of default on 2018 advance, deferring the repayment of $323 million in outstanding advances.
  • As it was done with the 2018 advances, a stay of default on 2019 advances could be considered closer to the September 30, 2020, repayment deadline if there is a request from an APP administrator. The Government is working with APP administrators to monitor the situation.

  Program data

  • For the 2019 APP Program Year to date, $2.9 billion has been advanced to 21,321 producers, for an average advance of $138,000 per producer.
    • $2.3 billon is grain and oilseeds (G&O) advances, with almost $1.2 billion being canola advances. The average G&O advance is $169,000.
    • Due to the increased interest free limit on 2019 canola advances, the majority of 2019 advances were interest free ($2.4 billion).

  APP Advances and participation program year

  	2018	20191	% change
  Total advances to date	$2,316,823,559	$2,944,605,952	27
  Total Interest Free (IF) advances	$1,521,807,781	$2,430,050,344	60
  Total Interest Bearing (IB) advances	$795,015,778	$514,555,608	-35
  Grain and oilseed advances issued	$1,678,508,951	$2,263,976,642	35
  Total producers	21,309	21,321	0
  Total G&O producers	12,901	13,358	4
  1. 2019 Program year finishes March 31, 2020 and the amounts will change.

  New limit statistics - 2019

  	Number	Value ($)
  Producers with advance less than $100,000	14,933	911,816,301
  Producers with interest free advances between $100,000 and $500,000	6,388	1,518,234,043
  Producers with advances above $400,000	1,688	888,327,893
  Advances at $1 million limit	112	112,000,000

  • A Stay of Default on APP repayments was announced in August 2019 for outstanding 2018 advances on grain, oilseed and pulse crops. The Stay provided approximately 5,000 crop producers with an additional six months (ending March 31, 2020) to repay their 2018 advances valued just over $323 million. Over the length of the Stay, participating producers continue to benefit from the interest-free benefit.
    • Approximately $135 million has been repaid to date with $188 million outstanding.

  APP statutory spending, 2017-18 to 2019-19 ($ millions)

  Type of program expenditure	2017-18	2018-19
  Interest paid on interest-free advances ($)	18.83	25.74
  Default payments ($)	24.62	23.30
  Gross program expenditure ($)	43.45	49.04
  Default recoveries ($)	−14.42	−12.81
  Net statutory G&C costs – Public accounts ($)	29.03	36.23

  APP Statutory authorities, 2017-18 to 2019-20 ($ millions)

  Program authorities	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20
  Statutory funding for grants and contributions	65.9	65.9	65.9
  Increase	0	0	21.4
  Total authorities	65.9	65.9	87.3

  • Program spending has been lower then program authorities because of relatively low interest rates and low number of program defaults.
  • The increase in program authorities for 2019-20 of $21.4 million is due to the increase to the APP limits in 2019.

• Intergenerational transfers

  Key messages

  • The Government remains committed to helping farm families in passing down the results of their hard work; and firmly believes that support for young farmers is critical to the renewal and future of Canada's agricultural sector.
  • Intergenerational transfers are an important way to facilitate access for new farmers to farmland, given that increasing land and capital costs are creating a major barrier to sector renewal.
  • Canada offers a strong support system for succession planning, including in the areas of taxation, planning and programs.
  • Agriculture and Agri-food Canada will continue to work with farmers, and the Department of Finance on tax measures to facilitate intergenerational transfers of farms, to deliver on this mandate commitment.

  Initiatives/examples

  • The government's main tool for helping family farm businesses in succession planning is the tax system. Several tax measures exist that help to facilitate intergenerational farm transfers:
    • Lifetime Capital Gains exemption, which allows an individual selling a qualified property to use their capital gains to reduce their taxable income;
    • Rollover provision, which allows an individual to transfer the title of an asset on a tax-deferred basis; and
    • Reserve provision, which allows the proceeds from the sale of property to be claimed by the seller over a period of five years.
  • Farm Credit Canada (FCC) provides support to the next generation of farmers, with low-interest loan programs for young and beginning farmers, as well as services to guide farm families through the succession planning process. These include:
    • Transition Loan: special payment options for both buyers and sellers in a farm transfer, to facilitate intergenerational farm transfers amongst family members.
    • Young Farmer Loan: a loan for farmers under 40 to purchase ag-related assets up to $1 million.
    • Young Entrepreneur Loan: a loan for young entrepreneurs under 40 to finance new or existing ag-related businesses up to $1 million.
    • Starter Loan: For 18 to 25 year-olds to build credit history and gain independence with their own loan to purchase livestock, equipment or shares in a company.
    • Women Entrepreneur Loan: a loan for women entrepreneurs to finance ag-related businesses, with no maximum loan amount.
  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has been working with Finance Canada who is leading on this issue as part of their broader review of the Income Tax Act. Finance is developing options to facilitate true intergenerational farm transfers, using Canada's tax system. These options will reflect the feedback provided to Finance Canada by the agriculture sector during their stakeholder consultations.
  • Under the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA), the federal government guarantees, to the lender, repayment of 95% of a net loss on an eligible loan issued with a maximum aggregate loan for any one farm of $500,000, and offers special terms to assist young farmers in accessing capital to improve their operations.

  Sector data

  Chart 1. Share of farm operators and self-employed in other industries, by age, 2016

  

  Number of farm operators and self-employed in other industries by age, 2016

  	Operators on small-medium sized farms (with revenues under $250,000)	Operators on commercial-sized farms (with revenues of $250,000 or more)	Self-employed in all other industries
  Under 35	15,770	9,070	354,710
  35 to 44 years	22,620	13,365	449,865
  45 to 54 years	40,535	22,340	580,105
  55 years and over	111,215	37,035	827,835
  Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture, 2016; Census of Population, 2016, AAFC Calculations.

  • Farm operators over the age of 55 years make up almost 60% of small and medium sized farms, and almost 50% of commercial sized farms, indicating an aging agriculture population and the need for succession planning.

  Chart 2. Average and total farm assets, by the age group of the oldest operator on farm, 2017

  

  • Producers aged 50 and 60 have total farm assets of $117 million, producers aged 60 to 70 have total farm assets of $121 million, while farmers under 40 have a much lower total farm asset value of $28 million indicating that intergenerational farm transfer in the agriculture sector will see substantial assets changing hands.

• Compensation for supply-managed sectors (poultry, eggs and dairy)

  Key messages

  • Our government strongly supports Canadian producers and processors, and is committed to protect and preserve supply management for future generations of Canadian farmers. We are delivering on our commitment to provide full and fair compensation in support of supply-managed farmers, as a result of commitments made under CPTPP and CETA.
  • In Budget 2019, we announced support for eligible dairy, poultry and egg producers for CETA and CPTPP. In August, we announced a total of $2 billion in compensation for dairy producers, including $345 million in 2019-2020 through the Dairy Direct Payment Program.
  • We have delivered full and fair compensation for dairy farmers, and we are working diligently with the poultry and egg farmers, and supply managed processing sector to provide that support. Furthermore, we maintain our commitment to deliver full and fair compensation for the new NAFTA once it has been ratified

  Responsive on SM4

  • Through the Poultry and Egg Working Group we worked in partnership with the sectors to understand their views on how to respond to the impacts of CETA in the most fair and effective way possible.
  • The Government is committed to tailoring its response based on the unique needs of processors and SM4. Our commitment is firm and we are working to ensure that compensation is made available as quickly as possible.

• Labour shortages and temporary foreign workers

  Key messages

  • The Government knows that reliable access to labour is vital to the growth and success of agricultural and food processing operations.
  • The Government is committed to attracting and retaining the best talent from around the world to help fill labour and skills shortages.
  • The Government will continue to engage with employers, workers and other stakeholders to address key issues raised by the sector, such as improving access to skills development opportunities.

  Initiatives/examples

  • As part of Budget 2019's Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, the Government announced an investment of up to $3.75 million to help bring youth into the agriculture industry.
    • AAFC's Youth Employment and Skills Program aims to create opportunities for Canadian youth to explore employment in the agriculture and agri-food sector and to better prepare themselves for the labour market.
    • AAFC's Youth Employment and Skills Program will contribute $864,000 annually to projects that employ youth. The program is expected to help create some 60 agricultural internships for youth entering the workforce.
  • In 2019, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced two pilots that will help to deal with critical labour shortages in agri-food and rural communities:
    • The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot launched in January 2019, is aimed at spreading the benefits of economic immigration to smaller communities. As of March 9, 2020, the pilot has been launched in 6 of the 11 rural and northern communities selected by IRCC to participate in this pilot. Newcomers are expected to begin to arrive under this pilot in 2020. In total the pilot could accept up to 2,750 principal applicants and their families annually.
    • The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot announced in July 2019 will test an industry-specific approach to help address the year-round labour needs of the Canadian agri-food sector. Additional details on how to apply for permanent residence through this pilot will be available in March 2020. This pilot could accept up to  2,750 principal applicants and their families annually.
  • The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot was well-received by the agriculture and agri-food sector. There are high expectations for the successful implementation of these initiatives.
  • In May 2018, the Government established a Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program Agricultural Service Delivery Working Group to provide an industry/government-led forum to discuss service delivery issues and explore potential solutions. This working group, jointly chaired by Service Canada and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, has made progress on a number of administrative issues and irritants, including improvements in Labour Market Impact Assessment processing times and TFW arrivals.

  Sector data

  • The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council estimates that 16,500 jobs in primary agriculture went unfilled in 2017, resulting in $2.9 billion in lost revenues.
  • Food Processing Skills Canada is reporting that 65,000 new workers will be required if businesses are to achieve the targets set by the Agri-Food Economic Strategy Table.
  • In 2018, TFWs accounted for about 19% of the primary agriculture workforce and 1% of the food and beverage manufacturing sector. TFWs are common in horticulture and meat and seafood processing in Ontario, British Columbia and New Brunswick.

• Value creation

  Key messages

  • AAFC is committed to Canada's grain growers in moving towards a stronger, more innovative and more competitive sector in the global marketplace.
  • AAFC is committed to playing an important role in seed research and development.
  • AAFC's economic analysis on the two royalty collection mechanisms that were put forward by the Grains Roundtable shows that increasing investment in breeding can result in improvements to crop yield and net farm incomes over time, consistent with other published studies in this area.
  • Given the work currently underway by some producer organizations and the seed industry on value creation, and based on their interest in more time to discuss ideas for a path forward, the Government is not planning further consultations until consensus is reached.
  • AAFC is pleased with the leadership and efforts that industry is putting forth and will continue to monitor the outcomes of the pilot project, and participate in sector-led discussions as needed in order to help build consensus around a path forward.

  Initiatives/examples

  • As requested by the Grains Roundtable, AAFC and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency jointly launched a multi-phase a consultation process on two proposed value creation models for Canada's cereals sector. A series of in-person engagement sessions were held – commencing in November 2018 until May 2019.
  • Based on feedback collected, a decision was made to delay the next phase of the consultation process so that the analysis of impacts on wheat growers could be expanded to include other crops such as barley, oats and flax. The results of this economic analysis were finalized in Winter 2020 and presented to Grains Roundtable members in March 2020.
  • The Grain Growers of Canada (GGC), the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) have been working together on a common set of guiding principles for Value Creation.
  • SeCan, FP Genetics, Seednet and several other seed distributors launched a pilot of the contract-based "Seed Variety Use Agreement" in February 2020.

  Sector data

  • Wheat contributes $9 billion annually to the Canadian economy and provides a much needed crop in producer rotations for pest and disease control. However, for close to two decades, cereal (for example, wheat, barley, oats, etc.) acreage has been on the decline and has attracted a lower share of private sector investment relative to crops like corn, soybeans and canola.
  • Two interrelated issues are responsible for the lack of private investment in cereal variety development. High rates of farm-saved seed, coupled with the lack of strong intellectual property rights (for example, patents) make it difficult for the private sector to achieve a return on investment in cereal breeding.
  • Consequently, public sector entities such as AAFC, along with Canadian agriculture universities, have remained the dominant players in cereal breeding. At present, royalties are only collected on the first sale of certified seed into the marketplace, which represents only 20% of cereal production acreage (on average 80% of annual cereal production is derived from royalty free farm-saved seed).

• Mental health challenges in the agriculture sector

  Key messages

  • Mental health is an issue that touches all people. The Government is working with provinces, territories and industry partners to support the mental health of farmers, ranchers and producers.
  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada supports action through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Provinces and territories can use federal cost-shared funding to address regional-specific pressures that can pose mental health challenges.
  • Farm Credit Canada is actively working to raise awareness of mental health warning signs and available resources through its Rooted in Strength initiative.
  • The Government committed $5 billion, over 10 years, directly to provinces and territories to improve mental health initiatives and services as part of Budget 2017.

  Initiatives/examples

  Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is actively working with the sector to raise awareness of mental health warning signs and available resources, including:

  • Partnering with the Do More Agriculture Foundation to fund mental health training sessions in over 20 communities across Canada this year.
  • Running public service announcements in various communities across Canada to increase awareness of available resources.
  • Updating their mental health booklet, titled Rooted in Strength: Taking Care of Our Families and Ourselves, which was reissued to all farm mailboxes in Canada the week of February 18 and is available online through FCC's website.
  • In addition, AAFC is working with Farm Management Canada to explore the link between mental health and the impact on farm business management decisions.
  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) continues to explore ways that its policies, programs and services can further support initiatives to address the mental health challenges faced by those in the sector.

  Sector data

  Research from the University of Guelph (submitted to Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food in 2019) indicates that farmers are vulnerable when it comes to mental health challenges, with rates of stress, anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion and burnout all being higher than other groups in the population. This data also indicates that farmers and others in the agricultural sector are less likely to seek help for mental health issues due to a lack of resources in rural areas, resources that aren't knowledgeable of the realities of the sector, and the stigma associated with seeking help.
  Canada does not gather statistics on deaths by suicide by employment sector.

• Innovation in the agriculture sector

  Key messages

  • In Canada, federal and provincial governments believe strongly in the power of science and innovation investments to drive improved profitability and sustainability in the sector.
  • Under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Government is investing $690 million in federally funded activities and programs in support of innovation. We are using approaches that combine talent and resources from industry, government and universities to find the best solutions for our farmers, processors and Canadians.
    • AgriScience Program: $338 million to support leading edge discovery and applied science, and innovation driven by industry research priorities. Up to $240.77 million has been approved for 19 AgriScience cluster and 50 AgriScience projects.
    • AgriInnovate Program: $128 million to accelerate the commercialization, adoption, and/or demonstration of innovative products, technologies, processes or services that increase agri-sector competitiveness and sustainability. Up to $56.2 million has been approved in repayable contributions for 16 projects.
  • AAFC is working in collaboration with ISED to support initiatives within the Innovation and Skills Plan. The Innovation and Skills Plan recognizes agriculture and agri-food as a key sector for Canada, and is providing support to innovation in the sector through initiatives such as the Strategic Innovation Fund and Innovation Superclusters Initiative.

  Initiatives/examples

  • Under AAFC's AgriScience Program, the Swine Cluster will carry out research activities such as new ways of feeding piglets that could help provide immunity from diseases, and the effect of long-distance transport on animal health and welfare.
  • The Government's $153 million investment in the Protein Industries Canada Supercluster will complement the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and help farmers add value to a wide range of crops, create new jobs in the sector and add billions of dollars to the Canadian economy.

  Sector data

  AAFC AgriScience clusters

  • Under the AgriScience Program's clusters support industry-led and commodity specific science and research projects that address priority themes and horizontal issues, and coordinate research activities across Canada.
  • Nineteen clusters were approved for a total of $183.2 million in support. This includes $126.9 million in funding directly to industry, and $56.3 million in support from AAFC research scientists.
  • Clusters are generally grouped by commodity or target sector: beef, canola, diverse field crop, pulse, dairy, wheat, soybean, swine, barley, grape and wine, ornamental horticulture, edible horticulture, poultry, organic, automation, food processing, biomass, agronomy and bioproducts.

  Distribution of cluster activities

  Province	Activities	Funding ($)
  British Columbia	18	4.7
  Alberta	58	24.4
  Saskatchewan	66	35.5
  Manitoba	48	23.5
  Ontario	84	43.6
  Quebec	46	22.2
  New Brunswick	5	3.5
  Nova Scotia	13	5.8
  Prince Edward Island	6	3.0
  Newfoundland and Labrador	2	0.2
  USA	2	0.3
  Note: activity funding is lower than overall total as administration costs are not included here.

  Innovation Superclusters Initiative

  • The Innovation Superclusters Initiative will invest up to $950 million by 2023 to accelerate the growth and development of business-led innovation in Canada.
  • Five Supercluster proposals were approved by Cabinet and announced by Minister Bains, February 14, 2018:
    • SCALE.AI – The Artificial Intelligence Supply Chains Supercluster (Quebec-Windsor corridor) - $230 million;
    • Next Generation Manufacturing Supercluster  (Ontario) – $230 million;
    • Digital Technology Supercluster (B.C.) - $153 million;
    • Protein Industries Canada (Prairies) - $153 million; and,
    • the Ocean Supercluster (Atlantic, Northern Canada) - $153 million.

• Investing in agricultural research and resources

  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada planned spending for science and innovation is $587 million for 2019-2020
  • This includes programming under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership: AgriInnovate and AgriScience, supporting the sector
  • Funding will maintain the national network of research and development centres and hire the next generation of scientists and professionals
  • This will support new emerging areas to advance science and innovation
  • Living Laboratories Initiative is a good example of agricultural innovation

  Initiatives

  • The Accelerated Staffing Initiative: AAFC is hiring the next generation of federal research scientists and science professionals.
    • Since 2018, AAFC hired 26 scientific researchers and professionals in new and emerging areas of science.
    • By 2021, it is expected that AAFC will staff a total of 75 positions through this initiative.
  • Living Laboratories Initiative: An open approach to innovation, bringing scientists, industry and farmers together to co-develop new farming practices in a real-life context.
  • Interdepartmental Research Initiative in Agriculture: Funds collaborative federal research projects focused on supporting environmental resiliency, and to advance the use of cutting-edge technologies and artificial intelligence in agricultural science.
  • This initiative will continue to support the creation of interdisciplinary science teams across the government.

  Infrastructure Investments

  These projects are related to maintaining or improving the built infrastructure at these sites to ensure the proper operation of a research facility.

  2019/2020 Planned investments for main research centres

  Main research centres	2019/2020 Planned investments ($,000)
  Agassiz	507
  Brandon	988
  Charlottetown	607
  Fredericton	378
  Guelph	35
  Harrow	898
  Kentville	992
  Lacombe	494
  Lethbridge	1,120
  London	2,138
  Morden	3
  Ottawa	2,764
  Ste-Foy	344
  St-Hyacinthe	5,547
  St-Jean-sur-Richelieu	1,073
  Saskatoon	1,902
  Sherbrooke	2,659
  St. John's	736
  Summerland	1,295
  Swift Current	1,150

  AAFC has 20 Research and Development Centres with 30 satellites research locations across Canada that includes

  • British Columbia: Agassiz, Summerland
  • Alberta: Lacombe, Lethbridge
  • Saskatchewan: Saskatoon, Swift Current
  • Manitoba: Morden, Brandon
  • Ontario: Harrow, London, Guelph, Ottawa
  • Quebec: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Sherbrooke, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec city
  • Nova Scotia: Kentville
  • New Brunswick: Fredericton
  • Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John's

  Since October 2018, AAFC has hired 53 new scientists, including 25 scientific researchers and professionals in new and emerging areas of science through the Accelerated Staffing Initiative (ASI).

  By the end of fiscal year 2020-2021, it is expected that AAFC will staff a total of 75 positions under ASI.

• Crop protection products and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency

  Key messages

  • In recent years, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has proposed or ordered the cancellation of multiple pesticides widely used in Canada, including neonicotinoids.
  • In 2018, the PMRA initiated a detailed review of its pesticide re-evaluation program. AAFC worked closely with the PMRA during the review process and participated in stakeholder consultations, providing an agriculture perspective to the engagements.
  • AAFC's support of the PMRA throughout the re-evaluation program review and re-design is a key component of our mandate commitments.

  Responsive on Neonicotinoids:

  • In 2016, the PMRA announced multiple re-evaluations and special review decisions on neonicotinoids due to their effects on pollinators and aquatic invertebrates.
  • With regard to pollinators, on April 11, 2019, the PMRA announced it will be cancelling some uses of neonicotinoids and changing some use conditions, such as restricting timing of application.
  • A final re-evaluation decision on neonicotinoids and their impacts on aquatic invertebrates was expected in spring 2020 however the final re-evaluation decision has been delayed until fall 2020.

  Initiatives/examples

  • In order to support industry during the PMRA's re-evaluation and proposed cancellation of neonicotinoids, AAFC established the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Neonicotinoids (MSF).
    • Efforts by the MSF yielded additional scientific data on neonicotinoids for consideration by the PMRA in its final re-evaluation decision.
  • Since 2003, ongoing activities by AAFC's Pest Management Centre have supported Canadian growers of minor crops with their pest management needs by generating data for registration of new minor uses of pesticides.
    • Data is provided to the PMRA for review and inclusion in registration decisions.
  • The Minister's Mandate Letter directed her to support the Minister of Health to ensure that the PMRA is making science-based decisions that lead to the safe and sustainable use of crop protection products in Canada.
    • To support this commitment, collaboration between AAFC and the PMRA to create a national water monitoring program is being considered and conversations are ongoing.
    • Such a program would generate data to support the PMRA in future re-evaluations of crop protection products.

  Neonicontinoids:

  • In 2016, the PMRA announced multiple re-evaluations and special review decisions on neonicotinoids due to their effects on pollinators and aquatic invertebrates.
  • With regard to pollinators, on April 11, 2019, the PMRA announced it will be cancelling some uses of neonicotinoids and changing some use conditions, such as restricting timing of application. Remaining uses (for example, treatment on canola seeds and greenhouse vegetables) are not expected to pose unacceptable risks to bees and other pollinators.
  • In order to protect aquatic invertebrates, the PMRA announced a proposed re-evaluation decision to cancel the majority of outdoor uses of neonicotinoids.
  • A final re-evaluation decision on neonicotinoids and their impacts on aquatic invertebrates was expected in spring 2020 however, following the receipt of scientific information and data from the public, provinces, agriculture industry and AAFC's Multi Stakeholder Forum on Neonicotinoids, the final re-evaluation decision has been delayed until fall 2020.

  Strychnine:

  • Following a re-evaluation process, Health Canada is cancelling the use of strychnine to control Richardson's ground squirrels. Other registered uses of strychnine to control populations of other animals (eg. coyotes) are not affected.
  • Beginning March 4, 2020, strychnine will undergo a three-year phase out.
  • Some provinces have indicated that while alternatives to strychnine for ground squirrel control are available, they are likely to be less effective and more expensive than strychnine.
  • Alternatives include RoCon, Rozal and zinc phosphide. RoCon requires soft water to operate which is often not a practical solution for many farmers. Rozal must be delivered in multiple feedings and placed in above-ground bait traps, increasing the likelihood of risk to non-target organisms. While effective, zinc phosphide does not present as an attractive bait to ground squirrels who may choose to bypass it entirely.
  • While these products will assist in the control of ground squirrels, farmers may be required to invest financially in water softener and bait stations, and may be required to spend increased time laying traps than in previous years.
  • Further information from the PMRA on alternative products is pending.

• Clusters and superclusters

  Key messages

  AgriScience clusters and projects

  • The Clusters and Projects are the core of AAFC's AgriScience Program, under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) (2018-2023).
  • The program is driven by industry research priorities.
  • It supports leading edge science discovery and innovation.
  • Clusters are a collection of long-term activities, national in scope and generally 3 to 5 years.
  • AgriScience Projects are shorter-term research activities identified by industry and government to address key challenges and needs.

  Superclusters

  • The Protein Industries Canada (PIC) Supercluster is crucial in Canada's goal to meet global demand for plant-based proteins, valued at US$8 billion in 2017, and projected to grow at an annual rate of 5.9% to US$14.8 billion by 2023 (Source: Canada West Foundation).
  • In Budget 2017, the Government of Canada put forward the Innovation and Skills Plan that is part of Innovation, Science and Economic Development's (ISED) $950 million Innovation Superclusters Initiative.
  • Superclusters Initiative, ending in 2022, has been designed to strengthen Canada's most promising competitive advantages and accelerate economic growth in highly innovative industries, while positioning Canadian firms for global leadership.

• Initiatives/examples of clusters and superclusters

  • Under CAP, nineteen (19) clusters were approved for a total of $183.2 million in support, between 2018-2023. This includes $126.9 million in funding directly to industry, and $56.3 million in support from AAFC research scientists.
  • Clusters are generally grouped by commodity or target sector: beef, canola, diverse field crop, pulse, dairy, wheat, soybean, swine, barley, grape and wine, fruit and vegetable horticulture, potato horticulture, poultry, organic, automation, food processing, biomass, agronomy and bioproducts.
  • AgriScience Clusters and Projects are delivering results: over the last framework, Growing Forward 2, for example the following was created: 177 intellectual property, 443 new varieties for farmers, 1,716 peer-reviewed publications, 8,926 knowledge transfer events, 1,774 products practices or processes were developed.
  • AAFC is supportive of, and working with, the PIC supercluster, which received $153 million in funding. PIC's vision and strategy to create an ecosystem dedicated to world class innovation around plant proteins is well aligned with the Department's policy agenda on innovation, sustainability, clean technology, precision agriculture, value-added processing, investment attraction, and market development.
  • PIC supercluster also presents opportunities for collaboration between AAFC and industry, such as using AAFC's science resources for future PIC initiatives.

• Canada Grain Act review/use of accumulated surplus

  Key messages

  • The Government of Canada is committed to modernizing the Canada Grain Act and the Canadian Grain Commission.
  • The Canada Grain Act has not been reformed in many years. The way in which grain is produced, marketed and handled continues to change, and it is important to ensure the legislative and regulatory framework can meet the sector's needs.
  • That is why we are committed to holding consultations with grain farmers and stakeholders. We want to hear their ideas and perspectives about what reforms may be needed.
  • This review process will help us to collectively shape a vision for Canada's grain quality assurance and producer protection system.
  • Our objective is to achieve an agile regulatory system that supports innovation, provides effective safeguards for producers, and maintains Canada's reputation as a supplier of consistent, quality grain.

  Initiatives – Use of surplus

  • Following consultations with the grain sector, the Canadian Grain Commission developed a Surplus Investment Framework through which it has begun making strategic investments in the following three key areas:
    • Strengthening safeguards for producers;
    • Investing in grain quality assurance; and
    • Enhancing grain quality science and innovation.
  • Through this initiative, the Canadian Grain Commission is investing funds to deliver clear benefits to producers and innovate programs and services that respond to an evolving sector.
  • For example, the Canadian Grain Commission has invested in new analytical services for producers that provide them enhanced grain quality information.
  • These services were announced with the investment framework and are being provided through an enhancement to the Harvest Sample Program. The CGC has committed $4 million of surplus funds over the 2018-2022 crop years to support this initiative.
  • The Canadian Grain Commission will continue to invest in initiatives that align with the direction and outcomes of the CGA Review and benefit the entire grain value chain.
  • Additionally, after consulting with stakeholders in 2017, the Canadian Grain Commission reduced fees for official inspection and official weighing services effective August 1, 2017. Further fee updates came into effect on April 1, 2018 to better align revenues and costs.

  Sector data

  Surplus Investment Framework

  

• Farm Credit Canada consolidation of existing federal financial and advisory services

  Key messages

  • The Government is committed to making it easier for the sector to access the financial and advisory services it needs to grow and expand.
  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is working with relevant federal agencies and Crown corporations to identify options to enhance the mandate of Farm Credit Canada (FCC).
  • FCC is Canada's largest provider of capital to agriculture, agri-food producers, and agri-businesses in rural Canada.
  • FCC has made significant contributions to the agriculture and agri-food sector, and this is an opportunity to build on the organization's success by enhancing its mandate into new and complementary areas.
  • We are still in the early stages of the process of reviewing FCC, and the agricultural lending environment in Canada.

  Initiatives/examples

  • The government is undertaking a review of FCC to determine whether its current activities are effectively addressing the needs of producers along the agriculture and agri-food value chain, and identify gaps in the agriculture lending environment.
  • Farm Credit Canada (FCC) provides support to the next generation of farmers, with low-interest loan programs for young and beginning farmers, as well as services to guide farm families through the succession planning process. These include:
    • Transition Loan: special payment options for both buyers and sellers in a farm transfer, to facilitate intergenerational farm transfers amongst family members.
    • Young Farmer Loan: a loan for farmers under 40 to purchase ag-related assets up to $1 million.
    • Young Entrepreneur Loan: a loan for young entrepreneurs under 40 to finance new or existing ag-related businesses up to $1 million.
    • Starter Loan: For 18 to 25 year-olds to build credit history and gain independence with their own loan to purchase livestock, equipment or shares in a company.
    • Women Entrepreneur Loan: a loan for women entrepreneurs to finance ag-related businesses, with no maximum loan amount.
  • Any new activities would complement FCC's existing suite of products.

  Sector data

  • FCC is a financially self-sustained federal Crown corporation. FCC lends money and provides other services to primary producers, food operations and agribusinesses that provide inputs or add value to agriculture. They share business management knowledge and training with customers, free of charge, and offer insurance, venture capital and management accounting software, that's designed specifically for agriculture.
  • FCC's loan portfolio is $38 billion, up from $17.1 billion in 2008-09, and has been growing for 26 consecutive years.
  • The organization has 97 offices, primarily in rural Canada, with over 1,900 employees.
  • FCC earned a net income of $656.7 million in 2018-2019 and paid a $394.8 million dividend to the Government of Canada on September 20, 2019.
  • FCC has over 100,000 customers (mostly individual producers).
  • In 2018-19 FCC loaned $3.18 billion to young farmers.

• Closure of Ryding Regency Meat Packers

  Key messages

  • We understand the impact the closing of Ryding-Regency has on the beef sector and our Government has been working closely with private industry and the province on the issue of processing capacity.
  • The Government has been working closely with industry and the province on the issue of processing capacity. Representatives from the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) and Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) were in Ottawa on March 9, 2020, to meet with AAFC officials to continue our dialogue.
  • During those meetings, BFO and CCA discussed ideas surrounding a set-aside program (a program designed to delay slaughter of certain animals, in other words, mature cattle, allowing greater market stability by balancing the number of cattle for slaughter to match slaughter capacity) and transportation subsidy to offset costs of transporting cattle from Ontario to other provinces to be processed.
  • We have programs through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to help farmers manage risks beyond their control and we are ready to help beef producers through our Advance Payments Program, which provides easy and fast access to low-interest cash advances in the short term.
  • Mitigating risks to food safety is the CFIA's highest priority, and the health and safety of Canadians is the driving force behind the design and development of CFIA's work. While a license cancellation like this is unfortunate, it does reinforce the fact that the CFIA is a science-based regulator, trusted and respected by Canadians and the international community.

  Challenges associated with sending cattle to neighbouring provinces/ territories (PTs) or the U.S. for slaughter:

  Shipping to the U.S.

  • There would be increase transportation cost.
  • The Cattle population in the United States is very high, thus American buyers have no need to import, especially given the segregation protocols for Canadian cattle.
  • As an example, a large plant in Moyer, Pennsylvania, will not accept cattle heavier than 1,600 pounds and some of the Ontario cattle exceed that.
  • The U.S. beef processing picture was disrupted in early in the fall of 2019 when a fire stopped operations at the Tyson plant in Holcomb, Kansas. This affected capacity in the sector.

  Shipping cattle to other PTs

  • Shipping cattle west is an option for Ontario producers, however freight costs negate any benefit.
  • There would be a cost to producers, with more heavy-weight cattle being discounted.
  • The new Animal Transportation Regulations require more frequent stops, unloading and reloading.

  Labour challenges:

  • The industry has identified challenges in expanding the slaughter capacity within Ontario, including regulatory issues and labour shortages.
  • As a solution, the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot will help address the labour needs of the Canadian agri-food sector, particularly in meat processing, with the aim of attracting experienced, non-seasonal workers. By filling the approximately 1,700 empty butcher stations at meat processing plants across Canada this will increase the productivity and efficiency of plants leading to opportunities for additional plants or expansion of existing operations.

  Initiatives / examples

  • The Government has made rapid changes to the Advance Payments Program to help farmers manage their cash flow by increasing the maximum loan limit for all farmers to $1 million.
  • On December 17, 2019, Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers decided on targeted improvements to AgriStability, including:
    • changing the treatment of private insurance to complement AgriStability for the 2020 program year. Private insurance indemnities will not be treated as a revenue source for the calculation of the production margin.
    • launching a pilot in select jurisdictions to make applying for support easier, by using tax return information to simplify the application process.

  Sector data

  • Ontario's beef processing sector is comprised of 6 federally inspected abattoirs and approximately 98 provincially inspected abattoirs. Overall, approximately 90% of the cattle processed in Ontario were in federally inspected plants.
  • In 2018, 3 federally inspected plants, Cargill Meat Solutions, St. Helens Meat Packers, and Ryding-Regency Packers, processed 89% of the 687,752 cattle processed in Ontario.
  • Ryding-Regency's 55,000 square foot abattoir and processing plant had the capacity to process approximately 80,000 head of cattle annually, along with 4,000 veal calves, and 4,000 lambs. Ryding-Regency employed approximately 300 people and had annual sales revenue of over $90 million.
  • In 2018, Ryding-Regency processed 64,098 head of cattle and accounted for:
    • 92% of total federally-inspected calf slaughter in Ontario;
    • 40% of total federally-inspected lamb slaughter in Ontario; and,
    • 10% of total federally-inspected cattle slaughter in Ontario.

• Supplementary estimates (b), 2019-20

  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

  Key messages

  • AAFC's 2019-20 Supplementary Estimates (B) total $435 million, bringing the Department's 2019-20 Spending Authorities to approximately $3 billion.
  • AAFC manages public funds responsibly to maximize the benefits for the agriculture and agri-food sector.
  • Most of these funds will go to the Dairy Direct Payment Program for dairy farmers, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and the Advance Payments Program - programs that make a real difference for farmers.

  Initiatives/examples

  • $345.0 million in Statutory Grants to support Canada's supply managed dairy producers through the Dairy Direct Payment Program.
    • The Dairy Direct Payment Program provides payments in 2019-20 of $345 million to compensate cow's milk producers in proportion to their quota held.
    • The one-year program ends on March 31, 2020.
  • Forecast increase of $21.4 million in Statutory Contributions in the Advance Payments Program (APP) under the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (APMA).
    • On June 3, 2019, the Government of Canada implemented the new regulations necessary to strengthen the Advance Payments Program, as announced on May 1st, 2019.
    • These changes provide farmers with more cash flow, providing them flexibility to manage their farm operations, adjust their marketing plans and explore new market opportunities.
    • As a result of these changes, the forecasted statutory contribution amount for the APP program under AMPA increased by $21.4 million for 2019-20 to bring the total to $87.3 million (from $65.9 million).
  • $55.3 million in Voted Contributions for the Canadian Agricultural Partnership program
    • Unspent funding from 2018-19 carried forward to 2019-20 related to the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) Cost-Shared multilateral framework agreement.
    • $33.0 million for Provincial/Territorial delivered cost-shared programs, $12.4 million for the AgriScience program and $9.8 million for the AgriAssurance program under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

  Sector data

  Summary of AAFC's 2019-20 Supplementary Estimates (B)

  	Total1 (Net of revenue) ($ thousands)
  Main estimates (AAFC and CPMA) – includes EBP	2,499,865

  Supplementary estimates (B):

  Voted appropriations (from 2019-19)

  1) Canadian Agricultural Partnership cost-shared and federally-attributed reprofile	55,256
  2) Reinvestment of royalties from intellectual property	5,597
  3) Reinvestment of revenues from sales and services related to research, facilities and equipment, and other revenues	2,251
  4) Federal infrastructure initiatives reprofile	1,867
  5) Reinvestment of revenues from the sale or retransfer of real property	320
  Total voted appropriations	65,292

  Transfers

  6) Transfer from Employment and Social Development to implement the modernized Youth Employment and Skills Strategy	2,563
  7) Transfer from National Research Council of Canada for collaborative genomics research and development and supporting activities	1,196
  8) Transfer from Public Works and Government Services for implementation and support of a Cluster Management Office (Laboratories Canada Initiative	738
  9) Transfer from TBS to support innovative approaches in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in government operations	204
  10) Internal reallocation – To address departmental infrastructure requirements (Vote 1 to Vote 5)2	-
  11) Internal reallocation – Contribution to Grants in support of the International Collaboration program3	-
  12) Transfer to the Administrative Tribunals Support Service for the establishment of a temporary paralegal position to support the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal	(32)
  13) Transfer to Global Affairs in support of the North American Platform Program Partnership	(160)
  14) Transfer to Environment to support the Greening Growth in the agriculture and agri-Food sector	(250)
  15) Transfer to TBS to support the Financial and Material Management Solution Project	(260)
  16) Transfer to Global Affairs to provide support for departmental staff located at missions abroad	(699)
  Total transfers	3,300

  Statutory (For information purposes only)

  17) Supply Management Dairy Direct Payment Program	345,000
  18) Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (Advance Payment Program)	21,400
  Total statutory (For information purposes only)	366,400

  Vote-netted revenue adjustments

  19) Collaborative research agreements and research services4	-
  20) Community Pastures Program 5	-
  Total supplementary estimates (B) (AAFC)	434,992
  Total estimates to date (AAFC and CPMA) – includes EBP	2,934,858

  Amounts transferred from Treasury Board Central Votes

  2018-19 Operating Budget Carry Forward (OBCF)	25,993
  2018-19 Capital Budget Carry Forward (CBCF)	10,139
  Compensation Adjustments	11,048
  Agricultural exporters and standard-setting bodies	2,312
  Food Policy for Canada (EBP – frozen)	244
  Government-wide Initiatives (PA group modernization)	166
  Total from Treasury Board central votes	49,902
  Total authorities to date (AAFC and CPMA) includes EBP	2,984,760
  1. Due to rounding, figures may not add to the total shown 2. AAFC is seeking authority to transfer $10M from Vote 1 Operating to Vote 5 Capital to address departmental infrastructure requirements. 3. AAFC is seeking authority to increase the Grants in support of the International Collaboration program by $3.2M. This increase will be funded from existing Vote 10 Contributions and this has no impact on AAFC total authorities. 4. The $3M adjustments to the vote-netted revenue for the Collaborative research agreements and research services offsets to zero and results in a VNR authority of $25M for 2019-20 5. The adjustments to the vote-netted revenue for the Community Pastures program offsets to zero, and results in a VNR authority of $1.3M for 2019-20.

• Supplementary estimates (b) 2019-2020

  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

  Explanation of requirements

  Voted appropriations

  • $55.3 million for the Canadian Agricultural Partnership program

    Unspent funding from 2018-19 related to the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) Cost-Shared multilateral framework agreement totaling $55.3 million in Vote 10 Contributions. This amount is being carried forward into 2019-20 and is broken down as follows:

    • $33.0 million for Contributions in support of Provincial/Territorial delivered cost-shared programs under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership;
    • $12.4 million for Contributions in support of the AgriScience program under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership; and
    • $9.8 million for Contributions in support of the AgriAssurance program under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
  • $5.6 million for the reinvestment of royalties from intellectual property

    AAFC is seeking access to $5.6 million in Vote 1 Operating in 2019-20 related to royalties and licenses from intellectual property collected and deposited into the Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2018-19. Royalties are collected for Science and Technology Branch, and are for numerous agricultural commodities that have been developed by scientists. These commodities range from grain & oilseeds to fruits to flowers.

  • $2.3 million for the reinvestment of revenues from sales and services related to research, facilities and equipment, and other revenue

    AAFC is seeking access to $2.3 million in Vote 1 Operating in 2019-20 from sales and services related to research, facilities and equipment, and other revenue earned in 2018-19 and deposited into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

  • $1.9 million to support the Federal Infrastructure Initiative

    AAFC is requesting to reprofile the $1.9 million unspent funds from fiscal year 2018-19 related to the Federal Infrastructure Initiative. This amount is being carried forward into 2019-20 for the completion of the St-Hyacinthe Pilot Plant Refurbishment project.

  • $0.3 million for the reinvestment of revenues from the sale or transfer of real property

    AAFC is seeking access to $0.3 million in Vote 5 Capital in 2019-20 related to revenue from the 2018-19 sales of real properties as follows: the sale of Rosetown warehouse/lot and Watrous warehouse/lot in Saskatchewan.

  Statutory appropriations

  • $345.0 million in Statutory Grants to support Canada's supply managed dairy producers through the Dairy Direct Payment Program
  • The Dairy Direct Payment Program provides payments in 2019-20 of $345 million to compensate cow's milk producers in proportion to their quota held. The one-year program ends on March 31, 2020.
  • $21.4 million in Statutory Contributions for the forecast increase in the Advance Payments Program (APP) under the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (AMPA)
  • The 2019-20 Main Estimates reflected an annual statutory contribution funding allocation for AMPA of $65.9 million. On June 3, 2019, the Government of Canada implemented the new regulations necessary to strengthen the Advance Payments Program, as announced on May 1st, 2019. These changes provide farmers with more cash flow, providing them flexibility to manage their farm operations, adjust their marketing plans and explore new market opportunities. As a result of these changes, the forecasted statutory contribution amount for the APP program under AMPA increased by $21.4 million for 2019-20. The total statutory contribution for AMPA reflected as of the 2019-20 final Supplementary Estimates will be $87.3 million.

  Transfers

  • $2.6 million transfer from Department of Employment and Social Development for the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy
  • AAFC is receiving $213 thousand in Vote 1 Operating and $2.4 million in Vote 10 Contributions in 2019-20 from Employment and Social Development (ESDC) to implement the modernized Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. This is a Budget 2018 and Budget 2019 initiative. This is a horizontal initiative involving the Department of Employment and Social Development and ten partner departments, agencies and Crown Corporations.
  • $1.2 million transfer from National Research Council of Canada for genomics research and development
  • AAFC is receiving $1.2 million in Vote 1 Operating in 2019-20 from National Research Council of Canada for the delivery of the Genomics Research and Development Initiative (GRDI) shared priority projects "Antimicrobial Resistance" and "Metagenomics Based Ecosystem Biomonitoring".
  • $0.7 million transfer from Department of Public Works and Government Services to implement and support cluster management offices as part of the Federal Sciences and Technology Infrastructure Initiative
  • AAFC is receiving $738 thousand in Vote 1 Operating in 2019-20 from Public Works and Government Services for the provision of cluster management support in relation to the Laboratories Canada Initiative. AAFC's resources will contribute to clarifying the science vision, coordinating and providing business requirements in each functional area, informing the strategy for investments, disposing of assets and provide costing input.
  • $0.2 million transfer from Treasury Board Secretariat for innovative approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in government operations
  • AAFC is receiving $204 thousand in Vote 5 Capital in 2019-20 from the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) to purchase two zero-emission plug-in electric farm tractors and install charging equipment in support of vineyard and orchard operations at Summerland Research and Development Centre in British Columbia and Kentville Research and Development Centre in Nova Scotia.
  • Internal reallocation from Vote 1 Operating to Vote 5 Capital - $10.0 million
  • AAFC is seeking the authority to transfer $10 million from Vote 1 Operating to Vote 5 Capital in 2019-20 to address departmental infrastructure requirements. The increase in Vote 5 Capital funding would help address costs related to deferred maintenance, accessibility issues and the new real property greening of government targets.
  • Internal reallocation from Vote 10 Contributions to Vote 10 Grants - $3.2 million
  • AAFC is seeking the authority to increase the Vote 10 Grants in support of the International Collaboration program by $3.2 million in 2019-20 to respond to additional program demands. This increase would be funded from existing Vote 10 Contributions and would have no impact on AAFC total authorities. This will bring the total authority for this grant to $4.0 million for 2019-20.
  • $32 thousand transfer to Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada for the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal
  • AAFC is transferring $32 thousand out of Vote 1 Personnel in 2019-20 to Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal (CART) for the establishment of a temporary paralegal position at CART in an effort to reduce the backlog of cases pending before CART and further prepare CART for new requests for review of violations related to the Safe Food for Canadian Regulations.
  • $0.2 million transfer to Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development to support the North American Platform Program Partnership
  • AAFC is transferring $160 thousand out of Vote 1 Operating in 2019-20 to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development to support the North American Platform Program (NAPP). NAPP is horizontal initiative of the Government of Canada that provides a coordinated and integrated approach to advancing Canadian interests and promoting international commerce in the United States and Mexico.
  • $0.3 million transfer to Department of the Environment to support greening growth in the agriculture and agri-food sector
  • AAFC is transferring $250 thousand out of Vote 1 Operating in 2019-20 to the Department of the Environment to conduct research that will explore how non-regulatory policy instruments such as nudges and other behavioural economics instruments could be developed and used in the Canadian context to better enable the Agriculture and Agri-Food sector to help meet Canada's climate commitments under the Paris Accord and the Pan-Canadian framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.
  • $0.3 million transfer to Treasury Board Secretariat to support the Government of Canada Financial and Material Management Solution Project
  • The Comptroller General is seeking voluntary departmental contributions to support the development of the SAP S4/HANA that will address the initial challenges faced by the 18 departments and agencies using FreeBalance, which is at a high risk of critical failure, and build a future platform for additional departments. AAFC is contributing $260 thousand through the 2019-20 Supplementary Estimates as support ($100 thousand had already been transferred in 2019-20 through the Main Estimates).
  • $0.7 million transfer to Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development to support departmental staff located at missions abroad
  • AAFC is transferring $699 thousand out of Vote 1 Operating in 2019-20 to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development as an adjustment of funding previously provided to support departmental staff located at missions abroad. This transfer reflects a reclassification of a position in Brussels (Belgium) and the creation of positions in Seoul (South Korea), Manila (Philippines), Guadalajara (Mexico), Hanoi (Vietnam), Berlin (Germany) and New Delhi (India).

• Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI)

  	Political party	Location
  John Barlow (1st Vice Chair)	Conservative	Foothills, Alberta
  Lyne Bessette	Liberal	Brome-Missisquoi, Quebec
  Kody Blois	Liberal	Kings-Hants, Nova Scotia
  Francis Drouin	Liberal	Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Ontario
  Neil R. Ellis	Liberal	Bay of Quinte, Ontario
  Pat Finnigan (Chair)	Liberal	Miramichi-Grand Lake, New Brunswick
  Richard Lehoux	Conservative	Beauce, Quebec
  Tim Louis	Liberal	Kitchener-Conestoga, Ontario
  Alistair-MacGregor	NDP	Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, British Columbia
  Yves Perron (2nd Vice Chair)	Bloc Québécois	Berthier-Maskinongé, Quebec
  Lianne Rood	Conservative	Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, Ontario
  Gerald Soroka	Conservative	Yellowhead, Alberta

• The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food - 43rd Parliament – First session

  (February 10, 2020 – Present)

  • Chair
    • Chair Pat Finnigan
      Miramichi – Grand Lake, NB Liberal
  • Vice-Chair
    • John Barlow
      Foothills, AB
      Conservative
    • Yves Perron
      (Berthier–Maskinongé, QC)
      Bloc Québécois
  • Members
    • Lyne Bessette
      Brome—Missisquoi, QC
      Liberal
    • Kody Blois
      Kings—Hants, NS
      Liberal
    • Francis Drouin
      Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
      Liberal
    • Richard Lehoux
      Beauce, QC
      Conservative
    • Tim Louis
      Kitchener—Conestoga, ON
      Liberal
    • Alistair MacGregor
      Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC
      NDP
    • Lianne Rood
      Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
      Conservative
    • Gerald Soroka
      Yellowhead, AB
      Conservative
  • Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
    • Neil R. Ellis
      Bay of Quinte, ON

  CPC- John Barlow (Foothills, AB)

  

  John Barlow was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding of Macleod, AB, in 2014. He was re-elected in 2015, to represent the new riding of Foothills, AB.

  Prior to being elected to office, MP Barlow had an award-winning career as a journalist earning numerous individual awards including the Telus Editorial Excellence Award and the Gordon Scott Memorial Award presented to Alberta's top columnist.

  Additionally, John is a respected member of several industry organizations, including the Journalism Advisory Boards at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and Mount Royal University. He remains a member of the Okotoks Rotary Club and the Okotoks Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

  John grew up in rural Saskatchewan where his family has a fourth generation business in Regina.

  Notable parliamentary roles

  • Critic, Agriculture and Agri-Food, November 2019 to Present
  • Critic, Interprovincial Trade, 2016
  • Associate Shadow Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food, 2016

  Committee memberships

  • Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present
  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), September 2017 – September 2018

  Bills

  • C-205, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Barlow has risen in the House 24 times on topics relating to agriculture.

  2020-02-18: … a grain producer from my riding came into my office…it is not often I see farmers and ranchers almost in tears…He suffered through one of the worst springs and falls in 60 years of farming. He finally harvested his crops, but now he is dealing with a blockade. There are no trains at the terminal where he could sell his commodities and get his product to market…

  2020-02-03: …The Liberal carbon tax is costing Canadian farmers tens of thousands of dollars. The APAS president, Todd Lewis, says that it is comparable to having 12% of one's paycheque just disappear.

  2020-01-31: …This is a Liberal government that missed a critical deadline to apply to the World Organisation for Animal Health for negligible risk status for Canada when it came to bovine spongiform encephalopathy… The agriculture minister, the trade minister, the health minister, the Prime Minister, all of them dropped the ball. How does one miss a date that we knew of 11 years before it was coming? As a result, our beef ranchers in Ontario are struggling…

  2020-01-31: …It is a government that promised to do a thorough and robust review of the business risk management programs and come up with a new program that would be bankable, accessible and efficient for Canadian agriculture. The Liberals have not done that. It is a broken promise…

  2020-01-31: …There is no other agreement I can think of that Canada signed that has put a cap on the growth of an agricultural commodity, which the Liberals have done with dairy. There is now a quota on the export of products like skim milk powder and protein powder…

  2020-01-30: Mr. Speaker, for Canadian farmers, this has been a harvest from hell, and the Liberals are only making it worse. They do not even understand it. Canadian farmers have had to dry their grain and heat their barns, and they are being crushed by a Liberal carbon tax.

  Tweets

  2020-02-05: "APAS estimates a 5,000-acre grain operation will lose $8,000 to $10,000 in 2020 with a carbon tax of $30/tonne, rising to between $13,000 and $17,000 when the carbon tax hits $50/tonne in 2022."

  2020-02-04: In my constituency of #Foothills, especially when it comes to agriculture and the benefits resulting from this agreement, getting the new #NAFTA ratified is exceptionally critical.

  Liberal- Lyne Bessette (Brome—Missisquoi, QC)

  

  Lyne Bessette was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represents the riding of Brome – Missisquoi, QC, in 2019.

  After attending high school at Massey-Vanier, MP Bessette went on to study science at the Cégep de Sherbrooke. Around that time, she started a career as a professional cyclist, opening doors to valuable life experiences — meeting exceptional people; seeing all kinds of diversity, from extreme poverty to extreme wealth; and bearing witness to the love people feel for their region and country.

  Her impressive cycling record includes two Olympic Games, several world championships and one gold medal at the London Paralympic Games, racing in tandem with a blind cyclist. MP Bessette is a team player par excellence, and she is passionately devoted to Brome–Missisquoi.

  Committee memberships

  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present
  • Member, Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC), February 2020 to present

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Bessette has risen in the House twice on topics relating to agriculture.

  2020-02-04: Mr. Speaker, early in the year, École de la Chantignole, in Bromont, embarked upon a wonderful environmental impact reduction initiative. January 10 saw the official launch of the "One, two, three, compost!" project that all classes are taking part in. I would like to congratulate the students and teachers who distinguished themselves through the concrete actions they have taken to reduce waste by composting. Set in motion by the teachers, the project is the result of a collaboration between the Brome-Missisquoi RCM, the City of Bromont, the school board and the school. A green committee was created in order the get the students involved. These young people are true role models in the field of environmental protection, and this initiative will prepare them for taking on their role as responsible citizens. In closing, I would like to congratulate the teachers and students of the green committee of École de la Chantignole in Bromont.

  2020-01-29: Mr. Speaker, agriculture is a dynamic industry rife with opportunity. Since today is Bell Let's Talk Day, it is important to remember that the agriculture sector is not immune from mental distress. As part of their job, farmers have to cope with increasingly unpredictable weather conditions and global markets, and the uncertainty that this creates can weigh heavily on them. Many organizations, such as Au coeur des familles agricoles in Quebec and the Farm Stress Line in Saskatchewan, are making outstanding efforts to support our farmers' well-being.

  Liberal- Kody Blois (Kings–Hants, NS)

  

  Kody Blois was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding of Kings – Hants, NS, in 2019.

  MP Blois is a dedicated leader with a proven record of serving his community. Born and raised in Kings—Hants, he grew up in a working-class household. He understands the priorities of the families who live there and knows what it takes to create new jobs and strengthen the middle class.

  The first member of his family to attend university, MP Blois completed degrees in commerce, law, and public administration - which sparked his interest in serving his community. His parents instilled values in him that he carries to this day: the importance of hard work, caring for others, and making a difference in any way you can.

  Committee memberships

  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present
  • Member, Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP), February 2020 to present

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Blois has risen in the House ten times on topics relating to agriculture.

  2020-01-30: …I find it very rich that members of the opposition benches talk about how important supply management is when the member for Abbotsford, who previously spoke, was the minister responsible for negotiating away major parts of our dairy sector under CETA and CPTPP.…Will the member opposite recognize or perhaps enlighten the House on that inconsistency, where we fought to maintain the system and the Conservatives got rid of it under no pressure?

  2020-01-27: …the seasonal agricultural worker program is an important federal tool to ensure our farmers have access to the labour they need to grow their businesses and ensure our Canadian agricultural products reach markets both domestically and around the world. While this program is absolutely crucial, I believe there are ways we can streamline the process to make it even easier for our farmers and applicants in our communities…

  2020-12-09: Mr. Speaker, in response to the member opposite's comment on supply management, I am from Kings—Hants. We have the largest agricultural concentration east of Montreal with many dairy farmers and poultry farmers in our area. I want the member opposite to know that I support farmers and I support our supply-managed farmers as well. As for the assumption that our government is somehow betraying farmers, I want them to remember that our government was forced into the deal with NAFTA. We maintained the integrity of a supply-managed system and we have also compensated farmers.

  Liberal Francis Drouin (Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON)

  

  Francis Drouin was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON, in 2015.

  MP Drouin is active on a variety of parliamentary associations such as the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie and the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group.

  MP Drouin holds a college diploma in business administration-finance from Collège La Cité and an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Ottawa. In terms of his professional experience, he worked as a special assistant in the Office of the Ontario Premier and then went on to work in the private sector as a government relations consultant. As a volunteer, MP Drouin has been a member of the Board of Directors of Collège La Cité and worked as the government relations manager for Startup Canada.

  Committee memberships

  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present
  • Member, Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO), February 2020 to present
  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), January 2016 to September 2019

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Drouin has risen in the House twice on topics relating to agriculture.

  2020-02-06: …The dairy industry is also very important to my riding. I would like to remind the House that in 2008, under the former NAFTA, there was a milk protein issue in Canada. U.S. exports to Canada increased exponentially for 10 years. Americans or third parties who wanted to export to Canada found ways to circumvent the rules. Now, under the new NAFTA agreement, the other parties, both Canada and the U.S., must be notified. Is that not a good thing for Canada's dairy sector?

  2020-02-03: …In my riding we have dairy farmers, chicken and turkey producers, and egg producers. Supply management continues to be a very important issue to them…It is true that we lost some market share. During negotiations around the agreement between Europe and Canada, it was not the Liberal government that was prepared to allow loopholes in supply management. It was the members who are currently seated across the way who, in 2013, were prepared to give up 1.5% of Canada's market share. It was not the Liberal government that said it was willing to give up 3.25% of the market under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. It was the Conservative government that announced it had signed an agreement on October 5, 2015, at 11:59:59 p.m. The Conservatives threw out a number that did not make any sense to the dairy industry, which nevertheless accepted it without even consulting its farmers. I think it is important to mention that we have a duty to consult Canadians, even if our party is the one in power…

  Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary- Neil R. Ellis (Bay of Quinte, ON)

  

  Neil Ellis was elected as the first Member of Parliament to represent the new riding, Bay of Quinte, ON, in 2015. 
  MP Ellis has owned and operated a successful local business for nearly 30 years. From 2006-2014, he also served as Mayor of the City of Belleville. A committed leader and visionary, he championed innovative strategies to address a serious shortage of family physicians and other health practitioners in the region and also introduced local infrastructure improvements.

  During his two terms as Mayor, MP Ellis realized the importance of federal leadership to ensuring that municipal governments have reliable funding to allocate towards critical infrastructure projects and service programming. He believes this is the key to promoting economic growth and improving the quality of life for all constituents.

  MP Ellis has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Psychology from Carleton University, in addition to a Chartered Director (C. Dir.) and Human Resources Compensation Committee Certification (H.R.C.C.C.), both professional designations through McMaster University's Directors College programs.

  Parliamentary roles

  • Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 2019 – Present

  Committee memberships

  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present
  • Chair, Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (ACVA), February 2016 to September 2019
  • Member, Liaison Committee (LIAI), February 2016 to September 2019

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Ellis has taken part in one Adjournment Debate on the topic of Canola Trade with China.

  Tweets

  2020-02-06: It's been a very productive week here in Ottawa! Thank you to representatives from
  @CAFTA_ACCA,@SeedInnovation,@CDNaquaculture,@GrainFarmers,@OntarioChicken& @OntarioDairy for taking the time out of your busy schedules to discuss the future of agriculture in Canada.

  2020-01-31: Thank you to members from the @canolacouncil and the @ccga_ca for meeting with me in Ottawa yesterday. It's so great to have the opportunity to speak with agri-producers and key stakeholders about canola production in Canada!

  2020-01-16: Thank you to the Dairy Farmers of Ontario for inviting me to your banquet yesterday evening in Toronto. It was great to have an opportunity to speak with Board Members on the future of dairy farming in Ontario, and I even saw a familiar face from Prinzhaven Farms in the County!

  2020-01-07: Thank you to the @GrainFarmers for inviting me to bring greetings at your AGM this morning! This was a fantastic opportunity for me to connect with industry leaders, especially as I move forward with my role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture & Agri-Food.

  Liberal- Pat Finnigan (Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB)

  

  Pat Finnigan was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB, in 2015.

  The son of a farmer, MP Finnigan grew up in Rogersville. During the late 1970s he and his wife, Lise, started their company, best known as "Mr. Tomato". This prosperous family farming business regularly gives back to the community through their involvement in local events and fundraising for charitable organizations. MP Finnigan is also one of the founding members of the La Récolte de Chez Nous co-operative – a network in which cultivators can exchange products and promote their industry.

  MP Finnigan is very involved in his community. Among other activities, he was the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Association of Community Business Development Corporations (CBDC) and President of the Kent CBDC and the Régie de la Santé de Miramichi. He was also president of the Miramichi Community Action Committee, and a member of the Ministry of Agriculture's round table. He has received recognition on numerous occasions for his community involvement. In 2008, he received the Award of Excellence from the Province of New Brunswick for his community leadership and the Kent County Citizen of the Year Award, and in 2011, the New Brunswick Institute of Agrologists awarded him the Louis Hébert Award.

  MP Finnigan holds a technical diploma in phytology from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

  Committee memberships

  • Chair, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present
  • Chair, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), January 2016 to September 2019
  • Member, Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, January 2016 to September 2019
  • Member, Liaison Committee (LIAI), February 2016 to September 2019

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Finnigan has not risen in the House on any topics relating to Agriculture.

  CPC - Richard Lehoux (Beauce, QC)

  

  Richard Lehoux was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding of Beauce, QC, in 2019.

  A former President of the Fédération Québécoise des municipalités (FQM), MP Lehoux is a strong champion of regions. He is really passionate about municipal politics.

  Born in 1956, Mayor of Saint-Elzéar from 1998 to 2017 and Reeve of the Nouvelle-Beauce RCM from 2000 to 2017, MP Lehoux was a member of the Board of the FQM between 2001 and 2017. He was Vice-President from 2010 to 2014 and Interim President for three months in 2012, before his election as President, a position he held between 2014 and 2017. MP Lehoux played a leading role in all battles and all gains of the FQM in recent years: Phase 3 of the National Rurality Policy, Framework Act on the occupation and the vitality of territories, Commission of Inquiry on the awarding and management of public contracts in the construction industry, Mines Act, Partnership with the government in 2016-2019.

  He was also Vice-President of the Mutuelle des municipalités du Québec (MMQ) since its foundation by the FQM in 2003, and was President from 2017 to June 2018.

  MP Lehoux is the father of three children and grand-father of nine grandchildren. As an agriculture entrepreneur and fourth generaltion dairy farmer, he exported his savoir-faire on the international stage. Now, he puts his expertise and his passion to the service of municipalities and regions of Quebec.

  Committee membership

  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Lehoux has risen in the House five times on topics relating to agriculture.

  2020-01-30: …Supply-managed producers, including dairy farmers, will see their market shrink by 3.6%. How will they be compensated for those losses?

  We know that, in addition to this reduction for dairy farmers, another very important aspect is the need for approval from the agreement partners before new markets can be developed, following the loss of classes 6 and 7. Where is our sovereignty in this very important economic sector?...

  2020-01-30: …Opening up our markets is great, but what assurances do we have that other countries will apply the same standards as we do here on our products? In the dairy industry, for example, our neighbours to the south allow the use of hormones that are banned in Canada…

  2020-12-06: The Liberal government has completely abandoned farmers. Farmers across the country have many reasons to be concerned: dairy, egg and poultry producers still have not received full compensation; inaction on China, which continues to ban imports of western canola; uncertainty in fuel transport, which led to a propane shortage and nearly caused a disaster in Ontario and Quebec. What does this government plan to do to stand up for our farmers?

  Liberal- Tim Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga, ON)

  

  Tim Louis was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding of Kitchener—Conestoga, ON, in 2019.

  As a successful business owner, professional musician, and community charity volunteer, MP Louis is a community leader who understands how to create well-paying new jobs for the families of Kitchener—Conestoga. He has lived in the Forest Heights area of Kitchener for the past 25 years, where he and his wife are raising their two children. His involvement in local community initiatives allows him to have an understanding of our communities and the families that work hard everyday to create a better life for everyone in Kitchener—Conestoga.

  MP Louis has firsthand experience with the challenges that middle-class families face every day. He understands the connections to the manufacturing sector, the arts, the tech sector, as well as farming and agriculture.

  Committee memberships

  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food(AGRI), February 2020 to present
  • Member, Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC), February 2020 to present

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Louis has not risen in the House on any topics relating to agriculture.

  NDP-Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, BC)

  

  Alistair MacGregor was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding of Cowichan–Malahat–Langford, BC, in 2015.

  MP MacGregor is a strong advocate for agriculture and lives in the Cowichan Valley with his family on a small farming property. He currently serves as the NDP's Critic for Agriculture, Rural Economic Development, and as Deputy Critic for Justice.

  He has been actively engaging constituents on issues such as climate change, housing, pensions, salmon habitat, and the clean energy economy of the future. A former forestry worker, MP MacGregor has been an advocate for community-based agriculture with a focus on promoting environmental sustainability and ending food insecurity.

  Parliamentary roles

  • Critic, Agriculture and Agri-Food, November 2019 to Present
  • Critic, Rural Economic Development, November 2019 to Present
  • Deputy Critic, Justice, November 2019 to Present

  Committee memberships

  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present
  • Member, Standing Joint committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations (REGS), February 2020 to present
  • Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), January 31, 2018 – September 11, 2019

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP MacGregor has risen in the House seven times on topics relating to agriculture.

  2020-02-03: …I want to draw my hon. colleague's attention to one particular section in the agreement that places threshold limits on dairy exports, notably milk protein powders and infant formula. This agreement would establish export thresholds whereby if Canada goes beyond them, we have agreed to slap on punitive tariffs, basically pricing ourselves out of the market. I would like to know what the United States got in return for our agreeing to this. … Just what kind of economic damage might this mean for our important dairy producers across the country going into the future?

  2020-02-03: …The State of Wisconsin produces more milk than the entire country of Canada combined. As it does not have supply management, it has wild fluctuations in price. Many farmers are experiencing bankruptcy down there. There are serious concerns to mental health and they do not have the protections there. In a sense, we are trying to open up our market from U.S. demands. We are trying to pay the price for their overproduction…

  2020-01-27: …I would like to hear his comments on our developing some policies in this Parliament that recognize the hard work that farmers do, especially with regenerative agricultural practices that sequester more carbon in the soil, and whether we have an opportunity to give farmers a place to become one of the greatest weapons we have against climate change with their use of good soil practices.

  2020-01-27: …One thing that we heard from farmers is that they are very much on the front lines of climate change. That happened repeatedly at the Standing Committee on Agriculture. The wet weather that we have seen, which has resulted in the high cost of drying grain, is going to continue in the future. We are going to see more adverse weather affecting farmers who will see their crops be affected by climate change. There are tools available, like business risk-management programs, that can take care of the high costs. I am wondering, given the fact that farmers are facing this challenge head on, what his answer is to his constituents in fighting climate change. What policies does he think can actually help them weather these storms?

  Tweets

  2020-01-29: Carbon tax debate aside, the #harvestfromhell is indicative of the threats and challenges our farmers are and will be facing from #ClimateChange. They are on the front lines and will be facing many more adverse weather events in the future.

  BQ- Yves Perron (Berthier–Maskinongé, QC)

  

  Yves Perron was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding of Berthier–Maskinongé, QC, in 2019.

  With a background in social sciences and humanities, up to the 2019 election, MP Perron was teaching high school history in Saint-Félix-de-Valois. MP Perron also has a keen interest in economics, administration, communication, and political science. He has been very involved with the youth in his community, especially through various cultural projects and humanitarian trips.

  MP Perron has chaired several civil and political organizations and has been the national president of the Bloc Québécois since August 2018.

  Parliamentary roles

  • Critic, Agriculture and Agri-Food, November 2019 to Present

  Committee membership

  • Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Perron has risen in the House 13 times on topics relating to agriculture.

  2020-02-05: …The people in this sector do not want to hear any more promises or vague commitments. Those commitments get made all the time, but they are rarely if ever fulfilled. Only the protection a law would offer can end this vicious cycle that is slowly but surely killing off supply management, our agricultural model, our thriving rural communities, and the dynamic use of our land…

  2020-02-05: …I would also like to see an assessment of the cost of the adverse impact on our local farmers and on the use of our agricultural land. That is an important aspect that the members across the way do not seem to care too much about. The only thing they care about is signing the agreement as fast as possible…

  2020-02-04: …We will not rest until farmers are fully compensated…We will speak out against any future breach of supply management starting with the imminent negotiations with the United Kingdom in the wake of Brexit….By preventing our producers from disposing of their surplus product, CUSMA could destabilize supply management…

  2020-12-12: …we need to take swift and meaningful action to fight climate change…Think of the flooding in 2017 and 2019…. the farmland that was flooded, making it impossible for farmers to plant crops there. When nothing is planted, nothing can be harvested…The Bloc Québécois thinks that, at minimum, the greenhouse gas reduction targets should be set based on the Paris agreement targets. We also think that those targets should be made legally enforceable so that the government is required to meet them…

  Tweets

  2020-11-25: #BlocQuebecois avec les agriculteurs en appui à leurs revendications. Le gouvernement doit faire pression sur le #cn afin que le propane circule et que le travail agricole puisse reprendre. Agir sur la réglementation du transport ferroviaire pourrait accélérer les choses.

  CPC- Lianne Rood (Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON)

  

  Lianne Rood was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON, in 2019.

  MP Rood is an entrepreneur and farmer with a background in politics and small business. She grew up on a 1,000-acre vegetable farm in Grand Bend, Ontario, and is equally comfortable in potato fields as she is in the boardroom. After receiving an Honours Bachelor's degree in Criminology and Sociology from the University of Windsor in 2003, she worked in Ottawa as a political staffer for six years.

  Notable parliamentary roles

  • Deputy Shadow Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 2019 to present

  Committee membership

  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Rood has risen in the House twice on topics relating to agriculture.

  2020-01-30: Something that is often overlooked is the impact of the carbon tax on farms and agriculture. Who is going to feed Canadians when the government continues to raise taxes and tax farmers out of business?... I had a farmer send me a bill. In one month, he had to pay over $7,000 in carbon tax to dry his grain. Profit margins are already so low for so many farmers and the Liberals want to tax them more, squeeze everything out of them…

  2020-12-06: Our beef farmers are hurting in Ontario. Farmers are being left in the dark about the ongoing dispute between the CFIA and three specific beef processing plants in Ontario. The shutting down of these plants has caused many farmers to go into crisis. What immediate action is the minister going to take to help these farmers impacted by the closures?

  Tweets

  2020-02-06: Yesterday I had a productive meeting with members of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association @wheatgrowers. We discussed trade barriers, issues relating to the TFW program, and the negative impact of Carbon tax on the #CdnAg industry.

  2020-01-30: The Carbon Tax makes everything more expensive through added transportation and production costs. The burdens of our farmers are passed on to all Canadian consumers, and it is a big reason why life in Canada is becoming unaffordable for so many. The Carbon Tax must go!

  2020-01-29: Study finds intimidation from "animal rights extremists" is causing Canadian farmers anxiety/depression. "They described feeling scrutinized…they felt that they were constantly under attack." #BellLetsTalk #MentalHealthMatters #cdnag

  CPC Gerald Soroka (Yellowhead, AB)

  

  Gerald Soroka was first elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding Yellowhead, AB, in 2019

  MP Soroka resides on a farm north of Evansburg on the original homestead that his grandparents moved to in May of 1930. He has lived there his entire life making him a third generation Yellowhead county resident.

  Having been raised on the farm it was an easy progression for him to continue farming after graduating from Grand Trunk High School. He farmed and had two off the farm jobs over the next ten years until he went full time farming. During this time, he was Vice President and President of West Central Forage Association as well as Vice President of the Alberta Forage Council.

  Looking to solve problems at a larger scale, Gerald went on to serve as a Division one Councillor and Mayor of Yellowhead County before making the jump to federal politics. During his time as Mayor, he was also elected as Vice President of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (Now RMA) from 2008 to 2010.

  Committee membership

  • Member, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI), February 2020 to present

  Statements on agriculture

  As of February 18, 2020, MP Soroka has risen once in the House of Commons on a topic relating to agriculture.

  2020-01-30: …the TPP, for instance, had more quota reductions than what is being proposed now. This is one area where the Liberals gave up more than what was previously agreed upon. It is one challenge I have with the new agreement. I forget the other parts of the member's question, but one thing I do know is that we were not as involved as we would have liked. This agreement affects all parties across Canada, and we should have been better addressed throughout the whole process, even in the last 48 days.

• Recent AGRI studies

  Business Risk Management (BRM) suite of programs

  February 25, 2020 - That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee conduct a comprehensive study into the Business Risk Management (BRM) suite of programs to do a gap analysis, identify improvements, to ensure that they are adequately meeting the challenges of farming in the 21st century; that this study include hearing from witnesses with specific knowledge of how the BRM suite of programs are or are not currently meeting the needs of farmers; that no fewer than six meetings be held to hear from witnesses; that the committee report its findings with recommendations back to the House of Commons; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the Government table a comprehensive response to the report.

  AAFC officials appeared on February 27, 2020.

  Study of clauses 44, 46, 53 and 59 of Bill C-4, An Act to implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States

  February 18, 2020 - That the Chair send a letter to the Chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade, informing her that the committee has studied the subject matter of clauses 44, 46, 53 and 59 of Bill C-4, An Act to implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States, that the committee heard from officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development and from the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food as well as stakeholders, and that the committee conveys their testimony to the Standing Committee on International Trade.

• List of parliamentary returns

  Questions	Status
  Q-183 2 — December 9, 2019 — Mr. Barlow (Foothills) — With regard to the federal carbon tax: (a) what is the (i) number of farmer, (ii) percentage of farmers who have received the Fuel Charge Exemption Certificate for Farmers, broken down by province; (b) what is the total amount of federal advertising expenditures aimed at ensuring farmers know about the requirement to fill out the forms required to get the certificate; and (c) what specific remedies are available to Alberta farmers who have not received their Exemption Certificates by January 1, 2020	Tabled on 2020-01-27
  Q-256 2 — January 27, 2020 — Mr. Seeback (Dufferin—Caledon) — With regard to government support programs for agriculture industries impacted by changes in trade with China: (a) in 2019, what is the total amount of government funding provided to the (i) soybean industry, (ii) canola industry, (iii) beef industry; (b) what is the breakdown of all funding in (a), by (i) program, (ii) province; (c) in 2020, what is the projected total amount of government funding to the (i) soybean industry, (ii) canola industry, (iii) beef industry; and (d) what is the breakdown of (c), by (i) program, (ii) province?	Response being finalized (Due to PCO on 2020-03-06)
  Q-268 2 — January 30, 2020 — Mr. Ruff (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound) — With regard to the government missing the deadline to raise our bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) status from "Controlled Risk to BSE" to "Negligible Risk to BSE" with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in the summer of 2019: (a) why did the government miss the deadline; (b) has the government sought a waiver or exemption with the OIE for the missed deadline; (c) has the government filed an application with the OIE for the "Negligible Risk" status, and, if so, on what date was the application filed; (d) what measures have been put in place since the missed deadline to ensure that future deadlines are not missed; (e) has the government received any indication from the OIE regarding whether or not the status will be raised to "Negligible Risk" in March 2020; and (f) will the raising of the status be delayed and, if so, until when?	Submitted to PCO
  Q-326 2 — February 18, 2020 — Mr. Barlow (Foothills) — With regard to the comments of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to the media at CropConnect in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in February 2020, stating, "I already had data from the department last fall or earlier this winter", in reference to the impact of the carbon tax on farmers: (a) what data did the minister receive from the department; and (b) on what date was the data received?	Response in approvals
  Q-327 2 — February 18, 2020 — Mr. Barlow (Foothills) — With regard to the government's AgriStability Program: (a) what was the actual or estimated cost to administer the program, for each of the last five years, broken down by year; and (b) how many employees or full-time equivalents at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have been assigned to administer the program, broken down by each of the last five years?	Tasked to branch
  Q-328 2 — February 18, 2020 — Mr. Barlow (Foothills) — With regard to the Efficient Grain Dryer Program announced by the government on February 10, 2020: (a) what is the projected cost to administer the program, broken down by type of cost; and (b) how many employees or full-time equivalents at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have been assigned to administer the program?	Response in approvals
  Q-373 2 — February 26, 2020 — Mr. Shields (Bow River) — With regard to plans by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to deal with African swine fever: (a) what specific contingency plans are in place to deal with an outbreak; (b) who is in charge of preparing for and dealing with an outbreak; and (c) when were the plans in (a) finalized?	Tasked to branch
  Q-377 2 — February 26, 2020 — Mrs. Gallant (Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke) — With regard to the first round of funding to dairy farmers as a result of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement: (a) what type of funding program was used to allocate the funding; (b) how were potential recipients notified; (c) how were successful recipients chosen; (d) what was the maximum allowable grant to farmers; (e) how much money was paid to Canadian farmers; and (f) for all the money paid in (e), who were the recipients of the funding, broken down by (i) name of recipient, (ii) city, (iii) province, (iv) date of payment, (v) amount requested, (vi) amount received?	Tasked to branch