The agriculture and energy industries have more in common than you might think. Both are national in scope and are essential to Canada’s economy ; both are continually finding ways to operate with less environmental impact. And both have increasing roles to play in global security and prosperity. Vital economic drivers Through its multi-billion-dollar national supply chain, oil and natural gas is truly a national industry. The oil and natural gas sector contributes $100 billion annually to the country’s GDP and provides more than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs across the country. Export of Canada’s oil, natural gas, and refined products contributed $112.6 billion to Canada’s economy in 2020. Similarly, agriculture is an economic mainstay. In 2020, Canada exported nearly $74 billion in agriculture and food products. The domestic market is also critical – in 2019, Canadians spent $244 billion on food and beverage products. Innovation and collaboration Producers in both industries have a clear line of sight to reducing environmental impacts on air, water and land. Ongoing environmental performance improvement has always been critical to the Canadian energy sector. For decades, the industry has been reducing emissions, managing water more effectively, reclaiming disturbed land faster and enhancing biodiversity. Like agriculture, the energy sector relies on innovation and advanced technologies that offer industry-wide improvements through collaboration and knowledge sharing. The high degree of collaboration among energy producers is a hallmark of Canada’s oil and natural gas industry. Numerous organizations facilitate research, develop new technologies, share best practices and provide funding for environmental initiatives. For instance, since 2012, members of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) have invested $1.8 billion to develop more than 1,100 shared technologies. Secure and reliable supply Agriculture and energy products and commodities also make a difference to importing countries that need a secure supply of energy and food. Current world events, especially Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine, highlight the global significance of energy security. The opportunity to help improve and stabilize global energy security is not just a tremendous opportunity for Canada’s oil and natural gas sector, it could also be considered an obligation to assist our allies and trading partners. The same could be said about supplying high-quality agricultural products to a hungry world, especially as supplies of staples such as wheat are coming under pressure due to blocked supplies from Ukraine. Canada has a clear advantage when it comes to offering safe, reliable, responsibly produced energy and agricultural products to global markets. As a nation, we are poised to play an ever-larger role. The world needs more Canada! CANADIAN AGRICULTURE AND ENERGY: LEADERS IN INNOVATION, COLLABORATION AND SECURITY A perspective from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers CAPP.CA