Members of Parliament return to the House of Commons in Ottawa this week. International trade is expected to dominate the fall legislative agenda with Canada facing mounting challenges from countries like the United States and China.
Liberal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald says when it comes to dealing with the trade and tariff issues with China around canola he’d like to see us grow our industry here at home so we are not so relient on international buyers. That being said he says a top priority for him in this next session will be advancing the clean fuel regulations. “Once we get yhe technical briefings into the industry, sector and consultations, hopefully we can move that through because that is a legislative item,” MacDonald said. “That will be something that I will be pursuing in an expeditious way.”
He also stressed the importance of keeping agriculture visible in national conversations. “Making people aware of what's taking place and keeping agriculture on the front burner, ensuring that people across this country understand the inputs and the challenges and the labor that goes into pulling a pound of hamburger off the shelf,” he added.
Conservative Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food John Barlow is focused on international trade barriers, particularly with China. “The tariffs on Canadian canola, pork, seafood, and the inability to access the Chinese market to Canadian beef is, you know, front of mind.” Barlow said. “We want an assessment from Global Affairs and Agriculture Canada on what the situation is on the negotiations on those tariffs and if any movement has been made or what's been done specifically to address those issues.”
Barlow also criticized the prime minister’s decision not to travel to China with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and for sending a backbench MP instead of the agriculture minister. He emphasized the need for regulatory reform, saying, “The CFIA is one of the biggest impediments to growth in the agricultural sector. We see incredible potential in Canadian agriculture, but we need everyone pulling in the same direction to reach those opportunities. And I guess thirdly would be harmonization of regulations—reducing the red tape that's an impediment to economic growth.”
Labour is another hot-button issue, especially following recent comments from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre about scrapping the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program while maintaining its agricultural component. MacDonald pushed back on the idea of dividing industries. “One of the most pressing issues for farmers right now is labour any one of them will tell you that.” he said. “We've got a lot going on in the country and around the world. I don't really think any more stress on farmers relevant to their workforce is likely appropriate at this time. I think temporary foreign workers is extremely important. Look, I have agriculture and agri-food. I also have processing. Seafood processing is a big user of temporary foreign workers too.”
Barlow says one of things being missed by some media or confused by people is that they would want the agriculture sector to still have access to foreign labour. “Agriculture will still have access to the critical labour that it needs,” he said. “We know that there is a unique situation with agriculture, as many of those jobs' Canadians just aren't filling or are not interested in filling. So, they do need access to foreign labour. The seasonal ag worker program will remain untouched, and we will have that in a singular agriculture labour stream.”
Beth Connery of Connery Riverdale Farms in Portage la Prairie (Manitoba) and Labour Chair for the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, welcomed that news. She says their farm has relied on the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program for years, they grow asparagus, strawberries, a few sunflowers, and have a small pumpkin patch.
“Trying to get people who are interested in field labour jobs is incredibly difficult in the rural areas that we all live in. No one really wants to go out for full days out in the sun, wind, rain, or whatever the weather is so that we can get a crop off.”
Connery says they have had temporary foreign workers on the farm since the late 1970s. “It started out with just a few and that number grew as our crops and what we were doing grew. So, we have used the seasonal agricultural worker program primarily and we have used both contracts with that. We have used the Mexican contract and also the Caribbean contract.”
As Parliament resumes, farmers and industry stakeholders will be watching closely to see how these issues unfold, and whether Ottawa can deliver meaningful progress on trade, labour, and regulatory reform.