Agriculture committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon. All parts of the agri-food supply chain are facing challenges that predate the pandemic. Food production is impacted by diseases, pests, weather-related events—think of the drought in the prairies in 2021 and the fires, then the f

Agriculture committee  We haven't specifically done such research, but certainly some of our members have looked at this. We're looking at leaf vegetables, as an example, which would probably be more appropriate than others, as would spices. As I said, we're not going to produce pineapples in Nunavut b

Agriculture committee  Absolutely. I think they certainly could do much more than what is being done presently. They're responding to crises. I think the idea is to not just respond to crises, but also to be proactive. The vertical farming issue, as an example, would be great. We're seeing the privat

Agriculture committee  We certainly believe that the government could play an important role at this point in convening the various stakeholders to discuss some of those solutions and in developing a long-term strategy for research and innovation that includes a focus on adoption as well. Yes, the gove

Agriculture committee  Academia is a crucial part of this. Universities and colleges need to play a role. This is why, when we called for the creation of this strategy, the Deans Council—Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Medicine supported our call. This is why colleges in the country, such as Olds Co

Agriculture committee  You will note, Mr. Perron, that I am not a fan of creating new administrative structures. However, I do agree with Mr. Blois, who proposed that we be an agricultural superpower. I encourage that idea. But if our country wants to remain an agricultural superpower, we will need a c

Agriculture committee  That's a good question. A number of my colleagues have talked about consultation, communication and meeting tables. A while ago, John Manley talked about consultation constipation, meaning that consultations are being held all over the place, and that is a bit concerning. Our o

Agriculture committee  Absolutely.

Agriculture committee  I completely agree that they must be funded adequately, just as research centres must be funded adequately. I absolutely support their demands. You will see that the deans council supports our appeal. It is not a matter of choosing one or the other; it's a matter of having both,

Agriculture committee  As I just said, I am not too favourable to the creation of new levels of bureaucracy, as we already have a number of them in Canada. What is more, commissioners of this and that don't necessarily have all the powers they need. The creation of such a position is often announced to

Agriculture committee  You will note that, last time I appeared before the committee on this issue, I recommended that this type of tax credit be created. So I absolutely agree with that. It is important to create those kinds of measures. That said, the government is continuing to take action in vario

Agriculture committee  You put your finger on it. This is why I wanted to quote the professor from the University of Saskatchewan who talked about quantum cubit computing. It would, within a few seconds, probably provide some of the companies solutions in terms of rerouting. In a huge crisis like there

Agriculture committee  I think that you received some answers from the study that you already conducted on this topic. One major issue is the ability to fund the adoption of new technology. This is a glaring issue. Some of our companies aren't in a position to implement these new robotics technologies

Agriculture committee  I think that the leadership should come from two groups: the industry and the government. The government can't lead the discussions alone. I think that some questions will arise about the future course of action. Leadership in the development of this national strategy must come f

Agriculture committee  I really want to see a message from the government on this issue soon. I check regularly to see whether smoke signals are being sent in the right direction. However, I still don't see any. I'm still waiting for Agriculture and Agri‑Food Canada or the government in general to expr