Thank you very much.
Good morning, everyone.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
My name is Stéphanie Levasseur, I am the vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, or CFA. I'm also an apple producer in Frelighsburg, in southern Quebec.
As you know, the CFA is Canada's largest general farm organization. We represent over 190,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.
As you also know, agriculture does not operate in a vacuum, so decisions made across multiple departments, for example regarding health, the environment, trade or financial issues, directly affect the competitiveness, resilience and viability of Canadian farms. A whole-of-government coordinated approach is essential to preserving the vitality of our food system and our competitiveness in global markets. Fundamentally, food security depends on the agricultural sector's productivity and economic viability.
For years, Canadian producers have been calling for regulatory mandates that explicitly recognize the importance of protecting not only the health of Canadians and the environment, but also our economic viability, competitiveness and access to affordable food. In this context, we welcome and support the recognition of economic and food security with the proposed amendments to the Pest Control Products Act and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act in Bill C‑30. The effectiveness of these amendments will ultimately depend on their effective implementation, which in turn depends, among other things, on decisions remaining science-based.
We also advocate for continued collaboration with industry and agricultural sector stakeholders to ensure these considerations are truly integrated in day-to-day regulatory decision-making, rather than just remaining overarching objectives.
From the CFA's perspective, one way to achieve this is through a more balanced, risk-based regulatory approach. Effective regulation should focus on managing risks rather than systematically seeking to eliminate them through disproportionate means or without considering the actual terms of use. Excessive caution or zero tolerance for risks can have adverse effects. It can delay approval, restrict access to essential tools and reduce productivity without actually improving safety. With rising costs, climate-related challenges and global competition, farmers need access to efficient products to protect their crops and care for their animals.
At the same time, we want to be clear about what these legislative changes shouldn't do. They shouldn't add new layers of bureaucracy, extend already lengthy approval times, or impose additional requirements and uncertainties on registrants or producers, nor should they require regulators to undertake extensive independent economic analysis, as doing so risks slowing down decision-making processes further.
Resources are also a major challenge for both the pesticide regulatory directorate and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Sufficient resources are critical to maintain inspection capabilities, address animal and plant health risks and ensure Canada is aligned with key trading partners. To maintain its reputation as a reliable supplier of safe, high-quality food, Canada needs a well-oiled regulatory system. Having more predictable and timely regulatory decisions would allow producers to plan confidently, invest in innovations and remain competitive in a rapidly changing global market.
In closing, we look forward to working with parliamentarians and regulators to ensure these changes are implemented in a way that strengthens Canada's agricultural sector without weakening public confidence in our regulatory system.
I look forward to your questions.
Thank you very much.