Leaders representing Canadian farm groups gathered in Ottawa this week for the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) 2017 Annual Meeting and examined policy options to better position the industry for growth.
CFA members heard keynote speeches and participated in discussions centred on the theme "Canada's 150: Our Farms, Our Food, Our Future."
"Agriculture is gaining recognition as a sector that is primed for considerable growth, but it is clear that we as an industry need to work together to address key obstacles to this growth. The next Agricultural Policy Framework is critical in this regard, as is improving Canada's grain transportation infrastructure, and ensuring producers have access to the labour they need to grow their businesses," said Ron Bonnett, who was re-elected as CFA President. Bonnett is a cow-calf producer from Bruce Mines, Ontario. He has served in this role since 2011.
In other CFA election results, members elected Norm Hall as First-Vice President. Hall is a grain producer from Regina, Saskatchewan. Marcel Groleau, a dairy producer from Thetford Mines, Quebec was acclaimed as Second-Vice President.
During his opening keynote, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay emphasized the importance of farm organizations and governments working in partnership, especially in the evolving context of the international trade. He also spoke about the Agriculture Policy Framework, which is now being developed and will be finalized by federal and provincial agriculture ministers this July.
Attendees discussed international trade concerns with Pamela Goldsmith Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, who talked about progress with the Canada-EU trade agreement (CETA) as well as other trade negotiations.
Dominic Barton, Chair of the Finance Minister's Advisory Council on Economic Growth, presented highlights from the council's report released last month, which recommended ways to help create the conditions for strong and sustained long-term economic growth. Farm groups are pleased to see that agriculture has been showcased in the report as a sector that has immense growth potential.
CFA members passed 40 resolutions that will guide its advocacy efforts in the coming year. This year's resolutions cover a range of issues, including: program funding, trade, rural infrastructure, risk management, transportation, tax policy, climate change, food safety, crop protection, labour, data and digital technology, and other topics.
Among the other speakers at the annual meeting were David Anderson, the Conservative party agriculture critic; Tracey Ramsey the NDP's international trade critic; and Mike Hoffort, President and CEO of Farm Credit Canada. A panel on carbon pricing featured presentations from Dr. Susan Wood-Baum of Alberta Innovates; Dale Beugin of the Ecofiscal Commission; and Dean Hubbard, a producer from Alberta.
"Over the next few months, we will focus on the goals and objectives of the new CFA strategic plan," said Bonnett. The plan, approved in principle by CFA's board following the AGM, has been developed around a vision of CFA as the national voice of Canadian producers; committed to enabling their success, which will create benefits for all Canadians.
Source : Canadian Federation of Agriculture