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Ag in B.C.’s throne speech

Ag in B.C.’s throne speech
Feb 19, 2025
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

The government promises to take lessons from other industries and apply them to agriculture

B.C. Lt-Gov. Wendy Cocchia’s throne speech on Feb. 18 on behalf of Premier David Eby’s government mentioned agriculture and farmers only twice.

The first time referred to the government’s commitment to protect British Columbians against tariffs from the U.S.

“We will never back down from defending workers, farmers, businesses and livelihoods here in British Columbia and across Canada,” Cocchia said in the speech. “This is not a fight we started. This is not a fight we want. But we won’t ever roll over or let our guard down.”

The second mention came during a section about reducing red tape and other barriers.

The government touted its work on reducing timelines on some mining projects by more than 35 per cent and is looking to extend that work into other industries.

“Now, we are accelerating that work, while applying those lessons to other sectors, such as construction, forestry and agriculture,” Cocchia said.




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Canada's Agriculture Day 2025

Video: Canada's Agriculture Day 2025

Let's celebrate Canadian agriculture.

Well, number one, you don't eat without farmers. Farmers put food on the table. And what could be more important than that?

Well, I think it's important that Canadians understand exactly what takes place, what happens to produce this food, no matter what sector you're talking about.

An awful lot of work goes into that. It's important to understand that meat does not come out of a showcase, and milk does not come out of a bottle. It's produced by farmers and hard work.

Canada has the best farmers in the world. And agriculture is vital to Canada.

In 2024, our agriculture and agri-food sector represented $150 billion of Canada's GDP, nearly $100 billion of our exports, and one in nine jobs.

From grains to fruits to dairy and beef, we are truly blessed with an incredible bounty. Having spent my whole life in agriculture, I see so much potential for the sector.

This time last year, I was proud to open our first-ever agriculture and trade office in the Indo-Pacific, the world’s fastest-growing economy, to cement our presence in the region and grow our exports even more. We've also been making historic investments to help our farmers to boost their yields, protect the planet, and earn a fair living.

The world wants more top-quality, sustainable food, and I know our Canadian farmers can deliver. And it's so important that you do that with pride. We need you.

Quite simply, you eat the most top quality food in the world. You do that because of the quality of farmers and ranchers you have in this country.

Just say thank you to a farmer or a rancher. They work very hard, yes, for a living, but also with a sense of pride in what they produce.

That's what Canada's Agriculture Day is all about.