Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for inviting us here to participate in the committee's study about clean growth, technology and climate change and their impact on various industries, including agriculture.
The Agricultural Institute of Canada was founded almost 100 years ago, in 1920, and is a unifying voice for cross-sectoral research and innovation in Canada. We advocate on behalf of agricultural research, disseminate information and create international linkages. To put it simply, the stakeholders we represent research, develop and innovate technologies and products for use in the agri-food sector. They know that Canada's agri-food sector holds significant potential for the development and use of clean technologies and bioproducts.
The innovations being developed today have the potential to revolutionize both the way we produce and cultivate products as well as the products themselves, whether they are making products that grow cleaner for fewer emissions and lower carbon footprints, developing techniques that improve how our producers cultivate the products, or making better use of the waste products generated. Canada's researchers are at the forefront of this industry and are world leaders. We are already seeing products that use fewer resources, emit less carbon, have higher crop yield and greater nutritional value.
With targeted and strategic support, the impact of these innovations can be felt on a greater scale. We believe that this presents an opportunity for federal leadership. A central part of this strategy begins with fostering collaboration between sectors. By encouraging and nurturing cross-sectoral partnerships, we will take great strides to find solutions to ongoing issues.
As an example, in the spring AIC will be hosting an agri-food innovation summit to promote collaboration between sectors, research clusters and governments. Participants from across various industries will gather to discuss future research plans and paths forward. The end goal is to find areas where research overlaps and applications can be shared between sectors as well as to identify what tools can be used to further support the research and adoption of these technologies. As an example, we will be bringing together representatives from the artificial intelligence and robotics sector, along with the agricultural sector, to find opportunities to use an existing knowledge base for action in another field.
We believe that the government has a role to play and hope that they will consider further supporting initiatives like this one and more going forward, including by supporting the development of carbon dioxide sponging systems in urban cities, comparable to what is done currently in the Netherlands, promoting indoor horticulture in urban designs and investing in systems to increase carbon dioxide use, including bioenergy and waste product utilization.
As is true with most technologies, being an early adopter is expensive, and the impact of delaying the use of green technologies merely exacerbates the use of older, less efficient and less environmentally friendly technologies. Key government support and incentives from the research stage to the adoption by the end-user are essential to broadening the use of these technologies. Creating a favourable climate for the adoption of clean technologies will help ensure that the desired effects are felt on a broader scale. This could be done through the taxation system such as with tax breaks, writeoffs or direct financial support.
A central element of the application of new technologies is often the same: access to broadband Internet. Without this basic building block, the impact of many of these new technologies cannot be felt as widely as their potential. This fall's Auditor General's report painted a disappointing picture of the state of Canada's connectivity in rural and remote areas. The federal government has taken some action on this, including setting up the federal-provincial-territorial connectivity committee and launching a public consultation on the topic. We encourage the government to move forward expediently and shift from the consultation stage to the implementation stage.
Adapting Canada's urban environment presents a unique opportunity for Canadian innovators and great potential for the development of carbon capture and storage capabilities. I know that this committee has previously conducted a study on this topic, so I won't go into too much detail, but if steps are taken today and leadership is shown, we can convert our built environment into carbon sequestration hubs and generate revenue while reducing our carbon dioxide.
This government has outlined an ambitious climate plan and has identified areas where further action is needed to help meet our emissions targets, including in our agricultural sector. Further to this, ministers of agriculture agreed to address priority areas as well as accelerate science, research and innovation in selected areas. We believe this is a step in the right direction but would like to see some further leadership from the federal government as it relates to the use of carbon tax revenue.
Recognizing the significant impact of clean technology in the agricultural sector and the environment as a whole, we recommend that a portion of these revenues be specifically earmarked for the introduction of new sources of energy as well as to support the production of biofuels. Through dedicated earmarked funding, this sector will get the support it needs to grow, and I'm sure that my colleague here will touch on that point as well.
Canada has already demonstrated global leadership in clean growth in the agricultural sector, notably in the development of alternative protein, which is the focus of the protein supercluster based out of Saskatchewan. Through the use of plant genomics and other techniques, the nutritional value of key crops such as pulses, wheat, canola and more will be increased. This in turn lowers the impact on the environment while increasing the products' appeal on a global market.
With strategic and targeted investments, innovations like these have the power to succeed. Coupling the ingenuity of Canadian researchers with government support will allow the agricultural sector to meet its potential while supporting clean growth and technologies.
Thank you very much for taking the initiative to address this important topic.
I look forward to your questions.