Transport committee  That's right. My suggestion around that is actually that it would be a government-appointed position that could have oversight across multiple jurisdictions and departments. That's the key relative to connecting the dots. I would encourage someone from industry. We work closely

Transport committee  I'm happy to comment if it pleases the member.

Transport committee  Climate change is a significant concern for the agri-food sector and our community. When we look at the atmospheric rivers, the heat dome that came first in Vancouver and the disruptions that it created in supply but also in production, we're seeing this more frequently and we're

Transport committee  I want to build on the automation discussion. I think there is opportunity on automation, but I do want to go back to the component around labour. We need to look at an effective immigration policy that will enable us to bring in the right labour. It could be truck drivers. It c

Transport committee  I can take that first. Thank you, Mr. Muys. We are seeing change, slow but sure. We have heard back from the government and we participated in the round tables around the supply chain issues, trying to provide some input from agriculture. Ms. Koutrakis was one of the co-chairs i

Transport committee  We will. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon, Chair and committee members. The Canadian Produce Marketing Association represents over 840 companies growing, distributing and selling fresh fruit and vegetables in Canada. Ongoing supply chain disruptions continue to have a signi

Agriculture committee  Perhaps I could go back to your question on innovation quickly, if that would be all right.

Agriculture committee  I just want to note that one of the comments we have seen throughout our industry is the strain on the market and part of the challenge is lack of investment on innovation because of the challenges around the pandemic. That is part of the issue we're dealing with. It is not a la

Agriculture committee  It's an opportunity. We have to look at every opportunity available to us but we also have to look at our existing infrastructure and at reinforcing and ensuring that it's able to meet market demand. It's an opportunity, but we have to look at what we have in our hand, a bird in

Agriculture committee  On top of that, the fees themselves, sir, are a challenge.

Agriculture committee  We're actually part of a global supply chain group that is looking at this. It's representative of multiple associations and multiple countries. We're beginning to look at some of these best practices. The U.S. has started it. They're a bit ahead of us relative to our supply chai

Agriculture committee  I'll start with the progress. Minister Bibeau has been very responsive to our request, to the 11 organizations that signed the proposal. It's our understanding that conversations on the proposal are under way. However, as industry we're looking for some indication from ministers

Agriculture committee  For greenhouse growth to the U.S., it's fundamental. They're our biggest trading partner. As an example, 80% of the product out of Ontario goes to the U.S. We need [Technical difficulty—Editor] a few key areas. Going south, we need to ensure that we have access to the main mean

Agriculture committee  I'll quickly talk to that. I mentioned the point earlier around creating that secondary hub outside the main port to be able to identify perishable items. On top of that is having the resources on ports, so that if it's CFIA or border services they can review and identify the p

Agriculture committee  Maybe I'll start, and then I'll see if Guy has any comments to add. I think you need to start looking at this in a model where we see agriculture playing a significant role in Agriculture Canada and our supply chain being an economic engine for Canada. Based on that, we start lo