Yesterday, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, convened provincial and territorial Ministers of Agriculture to discuss several key areas of interest for Canada's agriculture sector in the current context of the Canada-United States trading relationship.
Ministers spoke of the well-established and valuable integration of international supply chains to both Canadian and American producers and businesses, and renewed their commitment to take ongoing collaborative action across orders of government in response to potential market disruptions.
Roundtable discussions focused on region-specific concerns, planned engagement activities, and ongoing trade negotiations with key partners. Ministers underscored the importance of international market expansion and diversification to support Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector and its contribution to our long-term prosperity.
Building on efforts already underway, Ministers spoke about ways to boost internal trade options and the importance of utilizing the suite of business risk management (BRM) programs to meet the current and future needs of producers.
Ministers expressed their support for coordinated approaches to help Canada adapt to changing and unpredictable international trading relationships, while increasing supply chain capacity to improve Canada's resilience and food security. Regional efforts to support grassroots 'choose Canadian' initiatives were also a topic of discussion.
The Government of Canada remains committed to ongoing engagement to help ensure the best possible outcomes for the sector and all Canadians.
