Evidence of meeting #25 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was projects.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
You're saying there's another research centre and there are other places that will continue to conduct research on tree fruit and berries.
4:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Exactly.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Those people lost their jobs, but the work is still being done elsewhere. How many places will keep up this research?
4:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Do you mean on tree fruit?
4:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
We still have Kentville, in Nova Scotia, and Summerland, in British Columbia. The genetic material is kept in Harrow, Ontario.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
How many projects were approved under the AgriInnovation program?
4:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Nine clusters were involved, and I'm just going to check the number of projects so I don't give you the wrong information. There were 9 clusters and 14 projects.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
4:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
We could certainly provide that for you.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Earlier, I asked about international collaboration. Which countries do we collaborate with the most when it comes to sharing information on innovation and research?
4:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
The United States is our biggest partner as far as international science collaboration goes, given its proximity and its highly developed capacity.
We also engage in a good amount of collaboration with Europe, especially France, which has some really powerful agencies.
We also do a lot of work with emerging countries like China.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
I may have time to come back to this later, but could you describe for us some innovative projects and research happening in organic farming right now?
4:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Some organic farming projects are under way around the country, especially in the area of horticultural production. I can't name them off the top of my head, but most of them involve horticulture. Sometimes, we contribute to projects. We've taken part in organic wheat projects. We've had involvement in that area. We didn't do the work—
4:45 p.m.
NDP
4:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
A researcher at the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
4:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
That is possible in some situations. The first version of Growing Forward: Toward a New Agriculture Policy Framework included a science cluster focused on organic farming. I don't have the details with me, but we worked on that for the five years of the first policy framework.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bev Shipley
Folks, I want to take a bit of a prerogative as chair. I have a couple of questions that I wouldn't mind putting to the department, please.
This is just a follow-up. I want to say thank you for talking about not only the local and the regional, but the importance and significance you see in research, innovation, development, and then the commercialization of it.
When you consolidate—and this goes back to some of the earlier questions that may have come up—is there a concern about how to deal with issues around regional geography, for example around pest control, different soil types, different climate in different areas? Is that accommodated, or are the regional areas seen within the context of the same geography, as far as the soil, climate, and pests that would be present are concerned?
It may be not only in wheat, but in the horticulture areas, and also in some respects as we move into the grains and oilseeds and the research that is sponsored from these—obviously as part of a cluster that comes together with our grains and oilseeds people....
How does that work, or how does it come together so that there isn't a lack in the information that would be developed within regions where the consolidation has happened?
4:45 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology Branch, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Let me start by talking a little bit about consolidation.
When we looked at consolidation and at where we had streamlined, it was only where the sector had the capacity to be supported and there were partners there to support the sector. We got out of programs only in areas for which we knew there was capacity out there. So it isn't that, once a particular area closes down or the work is moved to another area, the work is not done; there is capacity there.
We have moved out of areas for which there already exists some capacity outside. It's the whole premise that everything does not have to be done by the government. The government has a role in long-term research in being able to have the strength to bring the research network together and to be able to do the research that is necessary to support the sector as needed.
I would say that consolidation has really allowed us to be more collaborative externally with our partners, whether they be private industry, academia, or institutions, etc.