Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and honourable members. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as part of your work to strengthen food security in the face of global instability.
My name is Krista Shaw. I'm the director of stakeholder relations at the Prince Edward Island Potato Board. I'm joined today by our general manager, Greg Donald.
Food security is no longer a future concern. It's a national priority directly tied to Canada's economic stability, sovereignty and resilience. Around the world, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical conflict, protectionism, climate pressures and economic uncertainty are reshaping how countries approach food production and access. At the same time, the number of farms in Canada, including in P.E.I., continues to decline.
If Canada wants a secure and resilient food system, food security must become a central lens in all federal decision-making. This is no longer simply an agricultural issue; it is a matter of national security. Canada is fortunate to have some of the most skilled, innovative and environmentally responsible growers in the world, yet producers face mounting pressures, including persistent inflation, rising input costs, labour shortages, market volatility, declining margins and increasingly severe weather events. Farmers are being asked to produce more with fewer resources while continuing to invest in new technologies to promote sustainability. Every farmer who leaves the industry represents a significant loss to Canada's economy and food-producing capacity. Government must do everything possible to protect this vital sector.
One clear example is the delay in product and application approvals through the pesticides regulatory directorate, formerly the PMRA. These delays place Canadian agriculture at a competitive disadvantage and limit our ability to respond to evolving challenges. Timely access to safe, federally approved crop protection tools, precision technologies and modern application methods, such as drone applicators, are essential to managing crop risks, adapting to weather pressures, improving productivity and reducing environmental impact. Canadian farmers cannot fall behind global competitors in accessing the tools they need to remain productive and sustainable.
Innovation is critical to both sustainability and food security. New technologies allow growers to produce more food with fewer resources and lower environmental impact. In P.E.I., increasingly hot and dry conditions have made irrigation a necessity rather than an option. Modern storage facilities and advanced packing technologies are also essential to maintaining crop quality and reducing waste. However, shrinking margins are forcing many growers to choose between taking on additional debt to modernize or leaving the industry altogether. Access to capital investment programs for all sizes of farming operations will be essential to maintaining a secure domestic food supply.
Canada's regulatory and trade bodies must also recognize the real-world impacts of their decisions on interprovincial trade, export competitiveness and international partnerships. P.E.I., a province of roughly 180,000 people, grows enough potatoes to feed 25 million people. Canadian growers depend on reliable access to domestic and international markets. Regulatory decisions must be made with a practical business lens that supports competitiveness and strong trading relationships.
Canadian farmers are resilient. They adapt, innovate and continue moving forward despite the immense pressures they face—