Agricultural debate showcases national parties’ priorities prior to election

Apr 22, 2025

Representatives from five national political parties spoke to the most pressing issues facing Canadian agriculture at a debate sponsored by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA).

Participants for the debate included Heather Ray with the NDP, Bloc Québécois spokesperson Yves Perron, John Barlow with the Conservative Party, current Agriculture Minister and Liberal Party candidate Kody Blois and Dr. Maria Rodriguez with the Green Party.

The participants had an animated discussion around their vision for the future of Canadian agriculture and how their parties would deal with current issues in the sector and while all five parties were supportive of Canada’s agriculture sector, they differed in their visions of its future and how to help the sector achieve its potential.

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Video: Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Pairwise has built its business around an idea that runs counter to how many companies approach innovation: make transformative technology easier to access.

In this Seed World interview, CEO Tom Adams discusses why broader access to gene editing could speed crop improvement, expand innovation opportunities and help agriculture address emerging challenges. He explains why Pairwise believes no single company can solve all of agriculture's problems alone—and why making advanced breeding technologies available to more organizations could accelerate progress across the industry.

The conversation explores how consumer trust influences technology adoption, why innovations like pitless cherries and seedless blackberries matter beyond convenience, and how future crop improvements could help address labor shortages, automation, harvest efficiency and other production challenges. Adams also shares his perspective on what the industry may be underestimating about the next wave of gene editing innovation.

Watch the full interview to hear why Pairwise believes agriculture is approaching an important inflection point for gene editing, and why the pace of innovation over the next decade could surprise the industry.

Topics Covered:

o Democratizing agricultural innovation

o Consumer trust and technology adoption

o The business case for sharing innovation

o Expanding innovation beyond major crops

o Next-generation breeding technologies