Agriculture Committee on Oct. 23rd, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

I call this meeting to order.

Welcome, everyone, to meeting number nine 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 using the Zoom application.

I think we all pretty much know how to engage here. The cards are on the table. Please follow the rules for the interpreters. Please watch how you're using the microphones.

I noticed at the last meeting that we had some folks speaking really fast. Just keep that in mind for interpretation as you proceed.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Thursday, September 18, 2025, the committee is commencing its briefing on the mandate of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Welcome, Minister. Thank you so much for joining us here today.

Joining the minister are Robert Ianiro from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Lawrence Hanson from the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Thank you, both, for joining us here today. Thank you, Deputy Minister, for joining us.

Minister, you have up to five minutes, and then—you know the routine—we'll move to the Conservatives for six minutes and the other parties as well.

Welcome to the committee.

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Thank you, Chair. It's a real pleasure to be here. I've spent a little bit of time on this committee as a member, and I know the great work you do.

Hello, everyone.

It's a real pleasure for me to be back here with the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

As a former member of this committee, I know very well how important your work is to the agriculture and agri-food sector.

I'm deeply humbled to serve as the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. I'm proud to work with you to move the sector forward.

I'll take a couple of minutes before our discussion to speak about my mandate as a minister and how that's played out over the last five and a half months or six months.

Right out of the gate, I made every effort to get boots on the ground, especially given the huge uncertainty and instability that our farmers are facing at this time. Over the summer, I was able to visit farms in all three prairie provinces. In Saskatchewan, we had a great stop at Rob Stone's farm—many of us know him—including a couple of rounds in his new sprayer without doing any damage. I was also able to take in the Stampede, and I aim to be at the Agribition in November. I visited producers and agribusinesses in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. A highlight was the Strang family farm. They expanded their potato operation to include an on-farm distillery for smaller potatoes that would normally go to waste.

One very positive sign was our unanimous agreement to make AgriStability more bankable for producers by increasing the compensation rate from 80% to 90% and doubling the payment cap from $3 million to $6 million.

I also made sure to sit down with canola producers across the Prairies as we work to restore our trade with China. In mid-September, I joined the Prime Minister for a meeting with our canola industries right here in Ottawa. The Prime Minister followed up with some targeted measures for the canola sector, for a start, to ensure that the signal was sent that we're there for them.

Based on what I'm hearing on the ground, I see my mandate as three key deliverables for producers in the sector: expand and build our trade to key markets, unleash greater potential by cutting red tape and invest in tech and innovation.

On trade, we are doubling down to help producers diversify their markets around the world. In August, I led a trade mission with the industry to the Indo-Pacific. I can tell you, our customers there want more of our high-quality food. Last week, I was in Mexico with industry to grow our trade there. Secretary Berdegué and I were definitely on the same page when it comes to the need to strengthen our integrated North American value chains.

On red tape reduction, I thank the committee for looking at this issue, which is front and centre for the sector and our government. It has been front and centre for me for some time.

Canada's regulatory system is based in science and considered among the most robust in the world, but it can also be challenging for producers and agribusinesses to navigate. We need an even playing field with the countries we trade with, and we need to expedite those regulatory decisions to keep our industry competitive. CFIA has recently taken a number of positive steps in that direction.

Finally, we know that innovation is key to a competitive sector. Alongside our innovation programs, I am also committed to looking at new avenues for investment in partnership with the industry. I've had some great meetings with investors who see huge potential in our sector of agri-food and agriculture. To help jump-start that investment in ag tech, Farm Credit Canada recently launched a $2-billion capital investment fund.

In short, Mr. Chair, whenever we make a decision, we want to take the same approach as our farmers do, through an economic lens. After all, we're talking about an industry that contributes $150 billion to our GDP, $100 billion to our exports, and one in nine jobs in Canada. The Prime Minister often says that he wants to make Canada the strongest economy in the G7. He can't do it without agriculture.

I want to thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for having me here today. I look forward to the discussion and the questions.

I want to add that I'm here to learn as much as possible from you. There are some farmers sitting around this table, and I appreciate their input as well.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Coteau]

Thank you, Minister.

I'll go to the Conservatives for six minutes.

Mr. Barlow, you have the floor.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for being here.

You talked about the economy, which I think is critical. The Prime Minister stated that he wants an economic lens put on everything. It was in the Liberal election platform and in your mandate to make changes to CFIA and PMRA to ensure that they look at food security and economic impact, but when Mr. Ianiro, the man beside you, was at committee and I asked him that question, he said that there's no need to change the mandate of CFIA.

Are you going to follow through with your commitment and ensure that CFIA takes food security and economic impact into account when they make decisions?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Certainly. As this discussion goes on, I will certainly challenge the CFIA and the PMRA, and I think they know that very well.

I've seen some positive gestures from the CFIA. When we had a meeting in Winnipeg with the ministers from across the country, we had a presentation, and the PMRA was there as well. It was really the first time at a ministers' meeting that we actually had them attend, and we were somewhat impressed. We have a long way to go, but we were impressed with some of the changes they've made already.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Thank you, Minister.

When will those changes be implemented, then? On what date will the CFIA ensure that they take economic impact and food security into account in their decision-making?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

There have been some changes already. I can turn to my colleague, but there have been seven or eight changes that are listed already. There are 14 in the queue.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

With the decision the CFIA put out, there are no metrics on when those changes need to come into effect.

I'll move on to my next question, Minister.

You talked about the importance of the canola industry. Have you spoken to your Chinese counterpart about the 75% tariffs on canola seed?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

No, not directly to the agriculture minister—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Have you spoken to your Chinese counterpart about the 100% tariffs on canola oil?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

No, not directly.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Have you spoken to your Chinese counterpart about the 100% tariffs on Canadians peas?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

No, not directly.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Have you spoken to your counterpart about the 25% tariffs on Canadian pork and seafood?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

No, not directly.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Have you spoken to your Chinese counterpart about the inability of Canadian ranchers to export beef to China?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

No, not directly.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

If this is such a priority for the Prime Minister and for you, Minister, on what date are you going to meet with your Chinese counterpart?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

We will meet when the time is right. There's a plan in place right now. There's a strategy that goes along with visiting China.

Minister Anand was there last week and made some really good headway, so we'll be following up with her relevant to a meeting with our Chinese counterparts.

Dealing with China is a very intricate situation. We want to ensure that whatever we do and whatever we say is not going to hurt any of those industries that you mentioned.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Thanks, Minister.

If this were a priority, I think a priority would be meeting with your Chinese counterpart and sending that message to the producers.

Speaking of your own province and your own constituents, it's been almost five years—in fact, more than 1,400 days—since the Liberals imposed a ministerial order banning the export of P.E.I. seed potatoes. Do you believe that P.E.I. is infested with potato wart, which is what the Liberal government's statement was?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Absolutely not. I want to assure the member that when we're talking about the geopolitical situation of trade that we have around the world right now, it might not be the most appropriate time to be pinpointing and measuring the aspects of all our trade to give someone else an opportunity to poke us in the eye, I might say, from another country.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Your decision, then, is that P.E.I. is not infested with potato wart, and that's contrary to what your government has said previously, but you are not going to lift the ministerial order. You're going to sacrifice P.E.I. potato farmers for geopolitical reasons. That's what I understand your answer is to me.

Is that correct?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

No, that's incorrect. What I'm saying is that to discuss this issue with our counterparts south of the border at this time would likely put an emphasis on potatoes as a whole, perhaps from every province in this country. I do not want to jeopardize any aspect of that whatsoever.

The time will be right to discuss this with our counterparts south of the border—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

In the meantime, the P.E.I. Potato Board sent you a letter several weeks ago asking for compensation for every year that they have not been able to export seed potatoes. I believe that ask was for $30 million. They have not yet received an answer from your office.

Do you support compensating the P.E.I. potato farmers for their lost export market?

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I believe, if my figures are correct, that over $50 million has been transferred to the province of Prince Edward Island relevant to seed potatoes.