Trudeau Visits Prairies To Show Support For Farmers

Apr 28, 2017

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay were in Gray, Saskatchewan Thursday.

The two visited an area farm and met with producers and farm leaders to discuss key issues in the ag sector.

Daryl Fransoo, a Director with the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association was part of the Young Farm Leaders group.

Fransoo says the Wheat Growers want to see the Trudeau government make trade and NAFTA their top priority.

"He brought that up, basically saying the ball is in the court of the United States. We'd have a huge problem as western growers if that border shut down to our crops. We need to make sure that the Canadian government maintains that access to our products. That's probably top priority right now...I hope the government really fights for us."

Source : Portageonline

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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.