Minister MacDonald to visit Quebec and participate in the General Congress of the Union des producteurs agricoles

Dec 04, 2025

The Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, will be in Quebec City to highlight the great work of producers across the province.

During his outreach, Minister MacDonald will also meet with his provincial counterpart, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Donald Martel, as well as with leadership from the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA). Minister MacDonald will then participate in the General Congress of the UPA, where he will deliver a speech and answer questions from participants.

Minister MacDonald will then be available to answer questions from the media.

Following his participation in the General Congress, Minister MacDonald will hold a roundtable with members of Quebec’s processing vegetable production sector, and will tour agriculture, agri-food and research facilities.

Click here to see more...

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.