Agriculture committee  That's a good question. That was the decision by Health Canada to focus on these areas. I think there are some changes that are driven by the consumer and that our member companies and the industry are doing anyway. There are some things that just needed to be updated, and other things are the direction the government has chosen to take.

Agriculture committee  No, these are in addition. For example, you're absolutely right that our industry, as has been repeated, does require more investment and support in R and D and capital, etc. Just think about what the government did for the automotive sector—highly automated, efficient, and productive.

Agriculture committee  I know that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has those stats. For some of them, industry investment in R and D, for example—this is on the company side—it's half that, as it is in the Netherlands or the U.S. If you look at the whole departmental spending on everything, it's only 5% for food manufacturers, and that is our home department.

Agriculture committee  I would just say that Alibaba is extremely important. There is a huge demand for Canadian food, especially in Asia. Canadian food is well trusted, ranked by the Conference Board of Canada in 2014 as a top place for safety. China can't get enough Canadian food, so we need to take advantage of that.

Agriculture committee  The only thing I would add here is that we know that we need to export in order to grow. That is absolutely key. Currently the market access secretariat in the department is limited in funding. It's also limited in scope and resources and being able to get market access for value-added products.

Agriculture committee  Our member companies are definitely committed to protecting and conserving their resources. You have to think about the member companies that we have, and a lot of companies already take great strides in order to meet consumer needs. They know that consumers are interested in more environmentally sustainable practices, and this is part of their brand.

Agriculture committee  Absolutely; when you have engineers in Canada studying, they don't think engineers are required on a food manufacturing facility to operate the highly automated and robotic technology that is necessary and will become more necessary if we want to stay in business.

Agriculture committee  Sure. As we both said in our presentations, only about 5% of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's funding is for food manufacturers. We always deal with Industry Canada, ISED, as well, and we have seen significant improvement, especially since the deputy minister from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, John Knubley, moved over to that department and started talking about the importance of food manufacturing.

Agriculture committee  Yes, labour shortages are definitely a challenge, both skilled and unskilled. For example, we need folks to be able to take the peas from the field and flash-freeze them within a couple of hours. If the peas stay in the truck for more than two or three hours, they're spoiled and they have to be thrown away.

Agriculture committee  On behalf of Food and Consumer Products of Canada and the member companies we represent, I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for the opportunity to provide input into the next agricultural policy framework. FCPC is Canada's largest industry association, representing the companies that manufacture and distribute the majority of food, beverage, and consumer goods found on store shelves, restaurants, and in people's homes.

Industry committee  May I jump in here quickly? I agree. Consumer pressures are everywhere. Everybody has an opinion about food, and it's not just the farmers who feel it, it's also the food manufacturers. I think we need to step back and put it in context. If we basically reacted to every single consumer interest or whim, we would have, for example, food labels that were larger than this room, and that had every single detail that had nothing to do with health, or safety, or science.

Industry committee  Concerning the 5% in the department's budget, I think that's a very low number for the value-added for the largest manufacturing employer in Canada. In dealing with other federal government departments, we're always punted back to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. That 5% number is extremely important to us.

Industry committee  Right. From what I understand—I would have to look at those stats. Maybe you know—it is lower than some of the leading manufacturing sectors in Canada.

Industry committee  Sure.

Industry committee  Yes, definitely. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is our home as you know. It's interesting because, as the top employer in manufacturing, it would make sense for us to be in a different department—