Agriculture committee  Can we better develop this type of program?

Agriculture committee  Yes, we are definitely aware of the report. It's probably worth pointing out that border management is not our department; it's CBSA that's at the border. As the minister laid out, CBSA has taken a number of actions at the border—such as increased verification—that have resulted in a big drop-off.

Agriculture committee  Again, my department is not in charge of that, and it's hard for me to comment on what someone else will do, per se. I will say, however, that there have been extra activities from the CBSA. It's not my area of expertise or my department, but for people who are caught breaking the rules, whether it's an importing violation or a speeding ticket, there are fines and penalties and sanctions.

Agriculture committee  I apologize. I will speak English because I know the program names better in English. In the last budget, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, under the inclusive innovation agenda, announced a program called the “strategic innovation fund”, which provides support for investments in business, largely in the manufacturing sector.

Agriculture committee  There are opportunities to look at our programs to see if the way we look at proposed projects could be compatible with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada programs. I think the industry sees an interest in it. As I said, fixed amounts are allocated to our programs, but there is always a way to be more effective and more in tune with programs in other departments or the provinces to ensure that our programs are compatible and can work together in the most efficient way possible for the sector.

Agriculture committee  On your first part, it's been in place for three months, so I probably can't give you any hard data.

Agriculture committee  I would say that there is definitely a lot of interest from across the agricultural sector for the opportunities. I was with the minister in Europe earlier in the fall, and the interest from a range of agricultural sectors for opportunities—

Agriculture committee  The meat sector—beef and pork—was a big one, largely, where I was in Italy and looking at opportunities there, but there were others at trade shows. I wasn't at the trade shows, but there is a range, whether it's horticulture or even oils, and beef and pork. I would say that there's a range of sectors.

Agriculture committee  Absolutely.

Agriculture committee  I think it's something where there are province-by-province approaches to environmental farm plans, so moving to a national...it certainly would have some benefits, as you've outlined. I think the role of—and the minister, I think, referred to this in his remarks—the federal government, certainly under CAP, is in part just as a convenor and a supporter of how some of this could work, and bringing people together to find solutions.

Agriculture committee  Yes. I think the one specific point I would say is there will be a program specifically—the agri-diversity program is what we're calling it—around bringing in people who have not been in farming before or who have been under-represented in the agricultural sector. The examples we provide are often in terms of youth, indigenous people, women, and persons with disabilities, so it's about finding ways to bring them into the agricultural sector.

Agriculture committee  This would be a new program, so I think part of the government's inclusive growth agenda would be to bring this program into play. Again, it would start with education and awareness and building outreach and support, as much as anything else, to make those links and bring people into the sector.

Agriculture committee  Yes, and Guelph. Pardon me.

Agriculture committee  Again, I hate to comment on a hypothetical application, but certainly we have a range of programming, depending on the nature of what someone is looking for, whether it's assurance.... We do marketing programming for people looking to export. We have science and innovation programs, and indeed, organic farmers and organizations do get funding under some of our research and commercialization programming right now.

Agriculture committee  Certainly our view would be that we want to give producers the choice to produce the way they want to produce. Certainly if there are those who wish to produce in an organic fashion, there would be no reason to dissuade them. We look at our research proposals and where we do research.