Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada released its plans, priorities, and spending allotments for the next three years.
The plan identifies multiple key priorities for 2026-27 and beyond.
They are:
- Building sector capacity, growth and competitiveness
- Climate change and the environment
- Market development and trade
- Resiliency and public trust
- Science, research and innovation
The ministry will work on these priorities with fewer resources.
Prime Minister Carney promised in the 2025 federal budget to reduce overall spending by 15 per cent over three years and asked ministers to find savings within their portfolios.
To help achieve this, AAFC is reducing spending by $112,248,000 in 2026-27, by $80,083,097 in 2027-28, and by $154,721,097 in 2028-29.
“It is anticipated that these spending reductions will involve a decrease of approximately 665 positions by 2028-29,” the document says.
For 2026-27, total planned AAFC spending is $3,677,569,159, with 4,801 full-time staff.