Agriculture Committee on June 9th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

I'd like to call this meeting to order.

Good morning. Welcome to meeting number 40 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders. Members are attending in person in the room and remotely by using the Zoom application.

Before we continue, I'd like to ask all in-person participants to consult the guidelines written on the back of the cards on the table. These measures are in place to help prevent audio and feedback incidents and to protect the health and safety of all participants, including our interpreters. You'll also notice a QR code on the card that links to a short awareness video.

I'd like to make a few comments for the benefit of witnesses and members.

Please wait to speak until I recognize you by name or until you're asked a question directly by members.

For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mic before speaking, and please mute yourself when you're not speaking. For those on Zoom, at the bottom of your screen you can select the appropriate channel—floor, English or French—for interpretation. For those in the room, you can use your earpiece and select the desired channel.

I'd like to remind witnesses that committee members may ask questions in either French or English. If you will need interpretation, please take a moment now to prepare the earpiece and select the listening channel in advance in order to take full advantage of the time allotted.

I will give a reminder that all comments should be addressed through the chair. For members in the room, if you wish to speak, please raise your hand. For members on Zoom, please use the “raise hand” function. The clerk and I will manage the speaking order as best we can. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this regard.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Thursday, September 18, 2025, the committee is resuming its study on food security in the face of global instability.

I'd like to welcome the witnesses who are joining us today.

From the Association des producteurs maraîchers du Québec, we have Patrice Léger Bourgoin. From the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, we have Marcus Janzen. Appearing alongside the Fruit and Vegetable Growers, we have the Greenhouse Produce Alliance of Canada and Julie Paillat. From the Union des producteurs agricoles de Portneuf, we have Christian Hébert, who is the president.

Each group will have five minutes, and then we'll go into questions.

We will start with the Association des producteurs maraîchers du Québec.

Welcome.

[Patrice Léger Bourgoin, Executive Director, Association des producteurs maraîchers du Québec]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, committee members.

Currently, five major retailers account for nearly three-quarters of sales in Quebec, leaving little room for other players. Regional chains have disappeared. The number of corporate stores is steadily increasing. Affiliated retailers are increasingly unable to prioritize local sourcing. There are now only 300 independent stores specializing in fruits and vegetables—what we call “fruiteries”—in all of Quebec. There were several thousand of them 25 years ago.

The number of farmers' markets grew during the pandemic, but about 15 of them have since closed, and the number of stalls specializing in fruits and vegetables is down by 12%. Major retailers have built centralized and integrated supply chains. As a result, all but a few products—including fruits and vegetables—are distributed through a centralized Montreal-based system.

Consider a market gardener from the Quebec City region, for instance. Twenty years ago, he would have had access to a regional distribution centre serving the eastern part of the province. Now, he has to shell out for transportation to deliver his produce to Montreal. From there, it's shipped—you guessed it—back to Quebec City. Not all market gardeners can afford to invest in a fleet of trucks for long-distance shipping.

Without satellite distribution centres, regional suppliers cannot grow and distribution channels cannot diversify.

The Association des producteurs maraîchers du Québec owns the Place des producteurs in Montreal. As business models have evolved, major industry players have built their own distribution centre to advance integration. The Place des producteurs has repositioned itself as the primary source of local produce for independent businesses. However, as their numbers continue to dwindle, the non-integrated supply chain model will face a highly uncertain future if nothing is done.

Market garden businesses operating in our part of Quebec are beginning to consolidate because of the enormous economic pressure they've faced in recent years.

Further to comments made during previous meetings, I believe it is worth reflecting on the trends that have resulted in the consolidation and integration of supply chains and limited diversification.

Meanwhile, government support for agriculture in Canada remains lower than in many comparable countries. The international average is around 2% of government spending, but Canada currently allocates less than 1%. Given the intensifying climate, economic and geopolitical risks, this shortfall is no longer acceptable.

By way of comparison, just a few days ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an investment of more than $1.5 billion for specialty crop producers to help them cope with rising input costs and market disruptions caused by foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices. We agree that unfair trade practices exist in North America.

You won't be surprised to learn that vegetable growers also face growing competition from foreign countries. They operate in an open market. Many other countries operate under less stringent environmental, social and governance standards than those applicable in Quebec, which creates an uneven playing field.

Our association surveyed Quebec consumers this spring and found that nearly 90% of them rely on their local farmers to achieve as much food self-sufficiency as possible. Furthermore, only 11% of them do not care about where their food comes from. Knowing this, last summer we analyzed retail store labels indicating the origin of fresh fruits and vegetables and found a high rate of error.

In conclusion, to better understand this issue, the government must examine the integrated structure of major retail grocers' supply chains and the impact this has on the diversity of suppliers. Similarly, supply chain concentration undermines the diversity of distribution channels, and thus the quality of competition and regional representation. This issue must be addressed in order to remedy the situation.

Finally, the Canadian government must provide more financial support to farmers facing global competition and address the issue of standards that aren't comparable.

Thank you for your attention.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

Thank you very much.

Next we'll go to the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada and the Greenhouse Produce Alliance of Canada for five minutes.

Are you presenting together? Yes.

Mr. Janzen, are you going first?

[Marcus Janzen, President, Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada]

If that's the chair's wish, that's what I will do.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

It's whatever you planned for.

[Marcus Janzen]

Julie, would you like to go first?

[Julie Paillat, National Coordinator, Greenhouse Produce Alliance of Canada]

You're such a gentleman. Thank you.

Mr. Chair and honourable members, thank you for the opportunity to speak today on behalf of the Greenhouse Produce Alliance of Canada. GPAC is the national voice of greenhouse fruit and vegetable growers and a trusted partner in advancing Canada's economic competitiveness, food security and climate leadership.

Canada's greenhouse fruit and vegetable growers generate approximately $6.3 billion annually for Canada's economy and employ an estimated 41,000 people across the value chain. Canadian agriculture is a proven economic driver, yet the greenhouse fruit and vegetable sector currently navigates a structural double squeeze that positions primary producers between high market concentrations on both the input and the retail sides of their operations.

Greenhouse growers rely on integrated North American markets to grow their businesses, adopt new technologies and expand production. In turn, Canadians benefit from a reliable supply of fresh, nutritious, high-quality, sustainably grown domestic produce throughout the year.

Greenhouse agriculture is being asked to invest and grow during a time of rising pressures from geopolitical tensions, global climate change, extreme weather events and escalating trade pressures. For our members, there is a need to act with some urgency to prioritize food security. Industry and government must work together on pragmatic regulatory and fiscal interventions.

We are seeking support for the strategic priorities outlined in the three pillars of our “Greenhouse Investment Roadmap”. These would fuel economic competitiveness and trade resilience, prioritize food security and business risk management, and power climate-smart agriculture and innovation.

Without the strategic alignment of policy measures, greenhouse investment is at risk of being displaced to other North American jurisdictions and being outpaced by U.S. incentives and programming, which provide a friendlier business climate for major capital investment. We are seeking targeted, modernized programs that are effective at delivering at the scale our sector needs.

The greenhouse fruit and vegetable sector stands ready to deliver food security, and we look forward to your questions.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

Mr. Janzen, go ahead.

[Marcus Janzen]

Thanks, Julie.

Mr. Chair and honourable members, good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to appear on behalf of the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada.

Our members grow more than 120 fruit and vegetable commodities across the country. These are everyday foods, but they are also strategic foods. Global instability, climate disruption, trade uncertainty, labour pressure and rising costs mean that Canadians cannot take domestic food production for granted.

This committee study focuses on creating value in the food chain, encouraging investment and innovation, reducing barriers to economic activity, strengthening local production and processing, and supporting local purchasing. These priorities align directly with the 2026 pre-budget recommendations we made to the House's finance committee.

First, we believe that Canada needs to apply a food lens in federal decision-making. Regulation, trade, labour, infrastructure and program funding all impact whether growers can keep producing in Canada. A food lens means assessing decisions for their impact on domestic production, farm viability, competitiveness and access to healthy food.

Second, growers need timely access to effective crop protection tools. This is not about weakening protection for human health or the environment; it is about science-based decisions that also reflect real farm conditions. Without these tools, Canada faces lower yields, higher costs, more food loss and a greater dependence on imports.

Third, Canada must modernize business risk management and invest directly in resilience before disasters occur. Current programs do not adequately reflect the realities of horticulture, perishability, regional differences or increasingly frequent extreme weather. Investments in water management, storage, processing, climate adaptation, applied research, and pest and disease preparedness would reduce risk and strengthen food security.

Fourth, local production depends on reliable and stable labour and rural infrastructure. Seasonal workers, housing, transportation and health services are food security infrastructure.

Finally, more broadly, Canada needs more domestic processing capacity, stronger safeguards against unfair or non-compliant imports, and stable trade rules. Perishable products cannot simply be stored until markets improve. Growers need predictable supply chains and practical tools when disruptions occur.

Canada's fruit and vegetable sector can deliver more local food, stronger supply chains and lower vulnerability to global shocks, but growers—

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

Sir, I'll have to stop you there. We're about 20 seconds over, and I need to move on. I'm sorry for interrupting you.

[Marcus Janzen]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

Thank you so much.

Next we have the Union des producteurs agricoles de Portneuf.

Mr. Hébert, you have five minutes.

[Christian Hébert, President, Union des producteurs agricoles de Portneuf]

Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for giving us the opportunity to present an initiative that, in our view, is a practical model for regional development, combatting food insecurity and supporting our local agriculture. I'm talking about the Portneuf food voucher program.

I'm here today on behalf of the board of directors of the Union des producteurs agricoles de Portneuf. The Portneuf UPA is a proud partner in this joint initiative, which brings together the agricultural sector, community members, municipal officials and institutions to achieve a common goal: ensuring that all citizens have access to fresh, local food while supporting our farmers.

This project is very important to the Portneuf UPA because it creates a direct link between families and the farmers who grow crops, raise livestock, process food and provide for our region. The food voucher program was launched in 2025 at public markets in Saint-Raymond, Deschambault-Grondines and Saint-Casimir.

In its very first year, the program provided 94 vulnerable households with access to healthy, high-quality food for 12 weeks. More importantly, this program is fundamentally changing the way we approach food assistance. Traditionally, support measures for people experiencing food insecurity have often relied on models that, while important, may create a stigma.

The food voucher program uses a different approach. Participants receive vouchers they can use at public markets, just like any other shopper. This allows them to choose their own food, meet producers, find local products and fully participate in community life. This is the program's greatest strength. It simultaneously addresses two major societal challenges.

First, it helps reduce food insecurity. The results speak for themselves. In 2025, the voucher redemption rate was 94%, a clear indication that there is a genuine need and that the participating families fully embraced the program. The program also generated more than $63,000 in economic benefits for participating public markets, including $12,670 from vouchers purchased by members of the public through La Ruche, which demonstrates citizens' support for this initiative and their commitment to ensuring access to food and supporting local businesses.

The data collected from participants is equally telling. More than 91% of respondents feel that the food vouchers made a significant contribution to their food budget during the summer. Nearly 71% of respondents said the vouchers helped them reduce their grocery expenses, and 56% of respondents said the vouchers were the main reason they were able to eat better. Judging from these figures, this isn't just a financial support program; it's a practical tool that improves families' quality of life and their access to healthy food.

Furthermore, the program directly supports the local organic food economy. Every voucher redeemed means additional sales for producers.

Finally, if I may, I'd like to share my dream for the food voucher program. My dream is that it will spread throughout Quebec and even serve as a model for the rest of Canada.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

Thank you very much.

We will go to the Conservatives for the first round.

We'll bring it to five minutes each. We're probably going to hear the bells, and I'd like to see if we can get more than one round in, if that's okay with everyone.

Go ahead, Mr. Gourde, for five minutes.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Congratulations on the food voucher program, Mr. Hébert. If you would like to tell us more about it, please send information or a brief to the committee. We will take it into consideration, and perhaps your dream will come true.

If you could secure funding to set up the necessary infrastructure and help bring your project to fruition, would that funding be welcome? The government has a lot of projects on the go right now. For example, there's the high-speed rail project, in which the government is prepared to invest $100 billion or $150 billion, even though we don't even know if it will actually help people. We do know that your project actually helps people. The problem right now is food affordability. Your project directly benefits those who need it most. How might we help you?

[Christian Hébert]

That's basically the reason I'm here with you today.

In the past, the federal government has helped British Columbia. We didn't invent the food voucher program here. Through conversations with farmers' markets in Quebec and our partners, we learned what was being done in the Maritimes and in British Columbia. Investments have been made, and they're working. Our food voucher program generates $63,000 in economic benefits, but British Columbia has $8 million in food voucher transactions across various markets. In the Maritimes, it's $3 million.

Two or three years ago, the federal government tasked a food security think tank—the Centre for Social Innovation in Agriculture—with studying this issue and conducting a pilot project. The RCM of Portneuf and the Lower St. Lawrence region participated in the project. The budget was $300,000. We're not talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. We're not talking about billions of dollars. However, by investing a few hundred thousand dollars to support our groups, our stakeholders and the people who donate to the United Way and contribute to the Desjardins community development fund, we are actually creating something much bigger. Your support is extremely important.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Your nutritional coupon program is a win-win solution. You're helping people in need who are struggling to put food on the table, but you're also helping an entire network of farmers who want to sell their products at their farm stands.

It can be hard to get people to go to a farm stand. Their first stop is the supermarket; then they'll drive the extra distance. With nutritional coupons, though, a lot of people make the detour before going elsewhere. Have you measured the program's potential impact on local farms people see along the road?

[Christian Hébert]

There's been a big change in a year.

We don't have enough workers on our farms, but we have to send staff to farmers' markets on busy days, Fridays and Saturdays. Oftentimes, farmers alternate. What they've seen with the nutritional coupons is that they're able to make about $7,000 more a day. They're seeing people who don't normally go to farmers' markets.

As I said, with the major push to buy local, which has helped take away the stigma, and the food assistance program for families, people are going to farmers' markets. Their reservations are fading. People are realizing that buying their fruits and vegetables directly from producers, at the farmers' market, is cheaper than buying them at Maxi. Buying your meat or chicken directly from the farmer is a lot cheaper than buying it in bulk at Costco. There isn't a 30%, 40% or 50% markup.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

I have one last question, Mr. Hébert.

What's the mood like right now in the Portneuf region, with the possibility of the high-speed train cutting through farmland there?

A quick answer would be appreciated.

[Christian Hébert]

Things are grim. More than 200 farmers are impacted. Using Financière agricole du Québec figures, we've estimated that 120 businesses in Portneuf, just within the regional county municipality, will be affected. When the agricultural economist comes back to calculate the farm's viability, the business won't make financial sense anymore. These farms won't be able to get their loan guarantees renewed with the Financière agricole du Québec. That will put 120 farms out of business, farms that keep our farmers' markets going. It's rare for everyone to be on the same side of an issue, but in this case, everyone is. As for the nutritional coupons, the community groups we've spoken with—

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

Thank you. I'm sorry.

We'll go to MP Dandurand for five minutes.

[Marianne Dandurand, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for being here today.

I think we all agree that food security is a priority. Even though our country is a major producer of agri-foods, the rising cost of living has made it hard for people to put food on the table sometimes.

I actually met with Canadian produce growers this morning. It was really interesting. It was a great meeting. This was one of the issues we talked about. One of the challenges that came up was our heavy reliance on agri-food imports, especially in the vegetable industry.

Ms. Paillat, you were at the meeting.

Mr. Bourgoin, is there anything you'd like to say about that? Do you agree that we are too reliant on imports in the vegetable industry? How can we fix that?

[Patrice Léger Bourgoin]

I agree with you: We are too dependent on imported products. During the winter, there are valid reasons for this. However, when it's summer and we see a lot of imported products on store shelves across the country, it's cause for concern.

With the integration and centralization of their supply chains, large retail chains can increasingly easily import products that are grown elsewhere at lower cost, because the environmental, social and governance standards in those regions are not the same as here. This has the effect of stifling local producers.

We often focus on the effects of market concentration on consumers, but pay little attention to its effects on suppliers.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

We'll have to stop for a second. The bells are ringing. I'm sorry to interrupt you.

I have to ask for unanimous consent to continue. Are folks planning to stay here to vote? Is everyone fine with that?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.