Details Will Determine Effectiveness Of Throne Speech Proposals, Says CFA President

Sep 28, 2020

Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Mary Robinson says overall, she is pleased with what she heard about the ag sector in last week's federal Throne speech.

Robinson says a few of the proposals align with what CFA has been working toward, including making the food chain more resilient, compensating supply-managed farmers for trade deals and recognizing farmers' efforts in fighting climate change.

"But the details of these initiatives will determine how effective they'll be," she added, noting CFA will work with government to ensure those programs are rolled out in an effective manner that works for farmers.

However, Robinson says she would have liked to have seen proper investments announced for the sector that would unleash the potential Canadian agriculture has as an economic engine, particularly in post-COVID-19 recovery. She points to a recent report issued by RBC outlining the sector could generate an additional $11 billion in GDP by 2030 with proper investments.

"If that happens that would mean that the GDP contributions of Canadian agriculture would exceed the combination of automotive manufacturing and aeronautical...so obviously this Throne speech did not bring that kind of confidence and investment on the part of government," she said.

Moving forward, Robinson noted CFA will also work with government to ensure those investments are made.

"When you look around at all of the different sectors and industries in Canada, I don't think there's one that is better poised to be a big economic contributor than the production of food," she said.

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