Response to parliamentary committees
There was one report tabled in Parliament requesting a Government response from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as described below.
The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
On February 2, 2022, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food presented its first report, Room To Grow: Strengthening Food Processing Capacity In Canada For Food Security And Exports. The Report focused on measures that could be taken to increase Canada’s capacity to process more of the food it produces domestically and to strengthen local food supply chains. The Committee requested a government response to 18 recommendations. A government response was tabled on June 2, 2022.
Response to audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (including audits conducted by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
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Report 12 – Protecting Canada’s Food System
Canadians and parliamentarians need assurance that emergency food programs achieved their intended outcomes by reaching Canadians facing food insecurity and by supporting the resilience of the food processing sector. Moreover, the findings of this audit may help government departments and agencies better prepare for future crises. It is impossible to know when the next crisis affecting Canada’s food system will emerge or what form it will take. An effective response to a rapidly unfolding crisis depends on collaboration, coordination, and integration by all partners to facilitate coherent action. Although the COVID‑19 pandemic was unprecedented in recent history, a crisis of this scale could happen again. Knowing the effectiveness of Canada’s response, as well as which of its aspects worked or could be improved, is essential to emergency preparedness for the critical food sector.
The full list of recommendations and responses are included in the report. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) was included in 4 out of 5 recommendations, agreed with the recommendations and has planned actions to address them. Recommendations included that AAFC should work with its federal, provincial, and territorial partners, as well as its stakeholders, to complete a national emergency preparedness and response plan for a crisis affecting Canada’s entire food system, taking into consideration the food security of Canadians and should ensure that its future initiatives have performance measurements that allow it to obtain sufficient, consistent, and relevant data to assess the achievement of outcomes. On May 12, 2022, the Deputy Minister appeared before the Public Accounts Committee to speak to the Auditor General’s Report 12. The minutes are provided at the following link: Minutes - PACP (44-1) - No. 20. From the meeting, no reports were produced, no corrective actions needed to be taken and no recommendations were directed to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
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Agricultural temporary foreign workers are an integral part of the workforce that supports Canada's food system. From March 2020 to June 2021, more than 79,000 workers arrived to work in Canada's agricultural sector. Protecting those who live in group settings, which includes most agricultural temporary foreign workers, became even more important during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Inspections are the main tool that Employment and Social Development Canada uses to know whether employers are adhering to requirements to prevent the spread of COVID‑19 and providing safe conditions for agricultural temporary foreign workers. Having identified temporary foreign workers in this sector as highly vulnerable during the pandemic, it is critically important that Employment and Social Development Canada implement a robust inspection regime.
There were no recommendations for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. On December 9, 2021, the Deputy Minister appeared before the Public Accounts Committee to speak to Report 13. The minutes are provided at the following link: Minutes - PACP (44-1) - No. 12. From the meeting, no reports were produced, no corrective actions needed to be taken and no recommendations were directed to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD)
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Report 3 – Scientific Activities in Selected Water Basins
This audit is important because harmful algal blooms are a significant and growing problem in bodies of water across Canada. These blooms affect the health of humans and ecosystems and have economic consequences. Climate change is expected to contribute to more frequent and severe harmful algal blooms. To contribute to reducing the risk and impact of harmful algal blooms, federal departments need to coordinate—among themselves and with external groups—to address the problem of excess nutrients. Having complete information on risks to water quality helps ensure that scientific activities are focused on threats to water quality. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) share a priority of protecting and sustainably managing water resources.
The full list of recommendations and responses is included in the report. AAFC was included in 5 out of 6 recommendations, agreed with the recommendations and has planned actions to address the recommendations. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ECCC and AAFC has been signed by both parties to formally and consistently share information and coordinate scientific activity in the joint water basins. On February 1, 2022, Dr. Ian Campbell appeared on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in front of the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee responding to the Commissioner’s Report 3. The minutes are provided at the following link: Minutes - ENVI (44-1) - No. 2. From the meeting, no reports were produced, no corrective actions needed to be taken and no recommendations were directed to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
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This review is important because departmental results reports are intended to inform Canadians and parliamentarians about how departments and agencies performed against their departmental strategies. These reports can help Canadians and parliamentarians understand progress toward the goals of healthy coasts and oceans, pristine lakes and rivers, and sustainable food. If available information on departmental actions is incomplete or unclear, Canadians and parliamentarians cannot be certain about the progress made toward any of the goals of healthy coasts and oceans, pristine lakes and rivers, and sustainable food.
All recommendations were assigned to all departments reviewed. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) was asked to respond to one recommendation regarding reporting on progress, to clearly describe the extent to which they met the actions in their sustainable development strategies, using the relevant performance indicators. AAFC will continue to follow the guidance of Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to ensure that Agriculture and Agri‑Food Canada clearly reports on the progress of departmental actions to meet its sustainable development strategies, according to the relevant performance indicators.
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Report 7 – Environmental Petitions Annual Report
Environmental petitions are a unique way for Canadian residents—acting as individuals or on behalf of an organization—to bring their concerns and questions about environmental issues to the attention of the federal ministers responsible and be guaranteed a response from them. The purpose of this annual report is to inform Parliament and Canadians about the number, nature, and status of environmental petitions and responses received from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021, as required by section 23 of the Auditor General Act.
There were no recommendations for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Response to audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
There were no audits in 2021–22 requiring a response by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.