Ottawa Announces Major Funding Boost for Canola Research

Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced Tuesday in Manitoba that Ottawa will invest $9 million in the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. 

When federal funding is combined with contributions from Alberta Canola, SaskCanola, Manitoba Canola Growers, the Ontario Canola Growers Association and industry, the total investment in research and innovation will be more than $17 million over five years. Under the funding partnership, a total of 17 projects will be carried out in collaboration with public research institutions across Canada. 
The goal of the canola cluster is to sustainably increase Canada’s canola productivity, help the canola sector meet rising global demands and improve global competitiveness. To achieve these objectives, the CCC will use the funding to focus on three priority areas: research on sustainable, and reliable supply; increasing value; and ensuring stable and open trade, according to a federal release. 

“This critical research will keep the (canola) sector on the cutting edge so it can continue to grow sustainably, while feeding and fueling Canada, and the world,” the release said.