Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, members of the committee.
Thank you for the invitation to appear today.
As noted, my name is Mac Ross, and I'm the vice-president of trade policy and crop protection with the Canada Grains Council.
The Canada Grains Council is the national organization representing the entire grain value chain, including Canadian farmers, seed and life science companies, exporters and all major field crop commodity associations.
I'm pleased to appear here today, as the committee's study on the government's regulatory reform initiative in agriculture and agri-food concerns an area that is critical to the success of our sector.
While the Canadian grain sector already accounts for an annual economic impact of $172 billion, reducing red tape is imperative to further unleashing the economic potential of our sector.
Canada's heavy regulatory burden is slowing investment, innovation and growth across our sector. Canada currently ranks near the bottom of OECD countries on administrative and regulatory burden, and that puts our competitiveness at risk. This is a serious concern for the grain sector, which has further potential to be a major economic driver for Canada if it's empowered rather than constrained. To achieve this, Canadian regulations must be modern, efficient and aligned with economic growth objectives that allow farmers, exporters and innovators to compete on a global stage.
Canadian farmers, as you know, have a tremendous capacity and an eagerness to adopt and implement modern plant science innovation, such as crop protection products and seed innovation. These tools help Canadian farmers sustainably intensify their productive capacity, positively contributing to the Canadian economy and to food security at home and abroad.
Canadian farmers rely on both the PMRA and the CFIA to gain timely access to these tools and to support trade.
As a relatively small market, we can't afford to have a regulatory system that is more expensive, less predictable and mired in more red tape than that of our competitors. If we're serious about boosting Canadian competitiveness and economic growth, we need to make sure our regulatory approaches align with our strategic objectives as a country.
As such, the Canada Grains Council proposes the following five no-cost changes at both the PMRA and the CFIA to ensure regulations support a growth agenda for Canada.
First, require the PMRA to consider food security and economic impacts in all their regulatory decisions without compromising on health and safety.
Second, instruct the PMRA to leverage reviews and best regulatory practices from other trusted, risk-based jurisdictions to remove duplication and to keep Canadian farmers competitive.
Third, deliver world-leading regulatory performance standards by requiring the PMRA to meet 100% of its performance targets.
Fourth, sunset the PMRA's transformation agenda, which has been under way since 2021, and refocus PMRA resources on delivering core mandate activities.
Fifth, regarding the CFIA, expedite the CFIA's development and full adoption of electronic phytosanitary certificate, or ePhyto, exchange, for both import and export of grain with our participating international trading partners. Unfortunately, Canada is currently behind many of our competitors in making this transition.
At a time when the global trading environment is increasingly volatile, Canada can't afford to have its “own goals” by way of our own domestic regulatory burden. We believe these five no-cost recommendations for the PMRA and the CFIA will help create a regulatory environment in Canada that moves at the speed of commerce and provides timely access to innovation for Canadian farmers.
This will be an important study for our sector, and we look forward to playing an active role as it takes shape. We thank all members in advance for taking this important work seriously.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to the discussion.