Research and Innovation in Quebec’s Agri-Food Sector - Launch of the Programme Innov’action agroalimentaire 2018-2023

Aug 08, 2018

Quebec City, Quebec – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

The Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec announced the launch of the Programme Innov’Action agroalimentaire, which will run until 2023. This agri-food innovation program stems from the Canada–Quebec Agreement on implementation of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The budget allocated to the program for the 2018–2023 period is $35.2 million, which will be provided by the federal government and the Quebec government.

Jean-Claude Poissant, Parliamentary Secretary to the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, and Laurent Lessard, Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, made the announcement. They pointed out that the goal of the program is to develop new knowledge and promote the transfer of that knowledge by supporting research and innovation activities in order to make Quebec’s agricultural production and food processing sectors more competitive, with a view to sustainable development. They also emphasized that innovation helps create jobs and contributes to dynamic land use.

With this in mind, the Programme Innov’Action agroalimentaire supports the implementation of the “Feeding Our World” direction of Quebec’s 2018–2025 bio-food policy with the aim of consolidating and strengthening research and innovation in Quebec’s agri-food sector. The program thus meets one of the objectives of the bio-food policy: investing in innovation and strengthening synergies.

Source : Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

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.