Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food

Comité permanent de l'agriculture et de l'agroalimentaire

For immediate release

Ottawa, May 4, 2021 -

Today, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food tabled a report in the House of Commons calling on the Government of Canada to take concrete steps to grow Canadian food exports and build stronger local food security. This is the Committee’s fourth report in the 2nd Session of the 43rd Parliament.

Entitled Room to Grow: Strengthening Food Processing Capacity in Canada for Food Security and Exports, the report considers testimony heard from 57 witnesses from across Canada’s agri-food chain over the course of 12 meetings held between November 2020 and March 2021. The report provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities that Canada’s food processors face and makes 18 recommendations to the federal government on actions it can take to help Canadian firms best take advantage of forecasted growth for Canadian food products in international markets while also building greater food security at home.

“It became abundantly clear over the course of our study that increasing the amount of food that is processed and manufactured in Canada would not only help expand our economy, but also help strengthen local food chains,” said Committee Chair Pat Finnigan.

To realize these objectives, the Committee calls on the government to make investments in trade infrastructure and regional processing facilities to help expand exports and develop local agri-food chains. It also recommends that the government review some of its regulation including those relating to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) first put in place in 2003.

The Committee also learned of the challenges that Canada’s concentrated grocery retail sector places on processors’ ability to innovate and grow. It calls on the federal government to support the provinces and territories in the development and implementation of a grocery code of conduct to standardize the relationship between food suppliers and retailers.

“Canada has long been a world leader in food,” the Chair continued. “From the development of canola to the recent success of Canadian pork and beef products in Asian markets, Canada has a proud tradition of innovation in this sector and the potential for an even brighter future.”