Hello, everyone. That you for that and thank you, Marie-Claude, for that introduction. I know it’s not always difficult to ask a politician to speak a little more…

But I appreciate you stretching out a little bit while I raced down the stairs to get here. Now, you probably don’t know this, but Marie-Claude sits right beside me at the Cabinet table, which means whenever an issue comes up regarding agriculture, or regarding rural families, or regarding just about anything that matters to you, she is right there leaning in, reminding me of the things that matter most to the community across the country. And I really, really have to say, you are all lucky to have her in your corner, and I’m grateful to have her fighting for you every day. Thank you for everything you do, Marie-Claude.

(Applause)

Glad to be here as well with MPs Kody Blois and Francis Drouin, the Parliamentary Secretary. And I want to also begin by taking a moment to thank Mary Robinson for her leadership as President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Mary, you’ve led this organization through an unprecedented four years; everything from the pandemic to potato wart—I know that that’s something you were aware of—to problems with supply chains and global food insecurity. I want to welcome Keith Currie to the role and our government looks forward to working with you, Keith.

Before I begin, I also want to celebrate that, earlier today, alongside the government of Saskatchewan, we announced that families in Saskatchewan will have $10-a-day child care starting next month, saving them up to an average of $573 a month per child compared to two years ago. I know a lot of you grew up on and run family farms, so you know how important it is to be there for families through thick and thin, and we will, of course, keep up that work.

To the farmers, producers, farm groups, co-ops, and more who make up the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, thank you for having me here today and thank you for everything that you do. You grow the crops and raise the livestock that feed Canada and feed the world.

Across Canada this morning, people are fuelling their days with yogurt from Quebec dairy farmers, fruit from BC orchards, egg from Ontario poultry farmers, and kids across the country are packing their lunch boxes with sandwiches that have bread made with prairie grains, vegetables from a local greenhouse, and roast beef from an Alberta cattle ranch. This is some of the best food in the world, and it’s produced by you, the farmers of Canada, most of you on family farms that have been around for generations.

Two weeks ago, I took part in a public discussion with the Union des producteurs agricoles in Longueuil, where I heard from Quebec farmers and producers. People like Stéphane, a dairy producer from Lanaudière who is worried about who will take over his family farm. Catherine, a maple syrup and vegetable producer who is facing labour shortages. Daniel, a grain producer who is struggling with his farm’s operating costs. Farmers are facing very real challenges and we all want to be there with you. We want to be there so you can continue producing quality food while staying resilient.

Climate change is an increasingly urgent issue for farmers. You are on the front lines. When extreme weather strikes, it hits your bottom lines directly. Hurricane Fiona damaged barns, orchards, and fields, destroying crops and killing cattle. PEI lost an estimated third of its fruit trees—that’s a shocking number.

Over the past few years, you have faced droughts, floods, and forest fires. We have invested nearly $1 billion to help sectors mitigate the consequences of climate change and reduce emissions. But changing growing seasons and multiplying periods of drought and flooding are pushing you to adapt.

Farmers are on the front lines of climate change, but they are also leaders when it comes time to find solutions. We only have to think about practices like planting windbreaks and cover crops. And you are making your farms more efficient and productive by adapting 4R nutrient stewardship and by using precision technologies, like GPS and drones.

To support you in your work, we have made major investments in programs like the On‑Farm Climate Action Fund, Agricultural Climate Solutions, and the Agricultural Clean Technology Program. Our goal is to help farmers, scientists, and Indigenous groups to develop and adopt sustainable management practices. We all want the same thing: clean air, clean water, healthy soil and herds, and abundance for years and decades to come.

You guys are worried about climate change and a whole lot of other things. On top of that, there’s a lot of disinformation and misinformation you may be reading online that’s adding to your worries. I was at a town hall in Langley, BC, just last Thursday where Cade asked me why we were, quote, “mandating a 30% reduction in fertilizer.” I want to be as clear with you as I was with him: we are consulting with farmers in the industry about a voluntary—not mandatory—reduction in emissions… in emissions from fertilizers, not in use of fertilizers. I’ve heard directly from you that finding ways to use fertilizer more efficiently is important, both for the sustainability and resilience of our environment and of your bottom lines.

Sustainability also means financial sustainability. We know that farmers are facing different realities than many other Canadians. That is why we have just announced the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, established with all of the provinces and territories, which will come into effect on April 1. It is a $3.5-billion investment. It is a 25% increase compared with the last partnership, and it was created based on the priorities you identified. After the previous government’s cuts, we have strengthened business risk management programs to give you better coverage in case of difficulties.

We’re investing to help you adopt technologies and practices that are not just good for the environment, but also good for your bottom line. Our price on pollution is in place to reduce emissions and fight climate change, and it puts money back in Canadians’ pockets, including farmers in places that use the federal system. That’s why, for farmers specifically, we’ve exempted gasoline and diesel for farm use from pollution pricing. And, for eligible farms in backstop jurisdictions, we’ve brought in tax credits for things like propane and natural gas use. In addition, families that live in rural communities, like farm families, get a 10% top-up to their climate action incentive payments that come in four times a year. We’ve also provided funding to help farmers invest in clean technologies that reduce your energy costs, like helping farmers purchase more efficient grain dryers.

But there’s also an ongoing reality around high global inflation and interest rates that are hitting you all hard. Supply chain disruptions and Putin’s illegal war have driven up the price of essential inputs. Most concerningly, global food prices went up when Russia weaponized food and prevented the export of grain vulnerable countries were relying on. It was a cruelty on an unfathomable scale and was more evidence of just how essential farmers’ contributions are.

Canada is doing its part to support farmers in Ukraine, but we know this global situation is affecting Canadian farmers, too. Simply put, farming is getting more expensive. Programs like the Advanced Payments Program provide low and interest-free loans so you can afford things like fuel, fertilizer, and seed. And I want to note that we raised the interest-free limit to $250,000 for last year and this year.

I’ve heard your concerns and our government is constantly looking at more ways we can keep being there for you. We offer generous programs, and we want to make sure that they’re responding to the needs of smaller family farms and younger farmers as well. The previous government’s track record on agriculture is one of budget cuts, but we believe in supporting you, not taking you for granted, and that’s why we’ll keep investing in agriculture.

We know that the best way to ensure the long-term success of Canadian farmers is to help your businesses thrive. You need more workers to grow your businesses and that is why we have increased our immigration targets and why we are extending work permits to family members of temporary foreign workers, and we are listening to your ideas on how to eliminate labour shortages. We are also building resilient supply chains with road, rail, and port networks that allow your products to be transported to markets across Canada and around the world.

We have free trade agreements with 51 countries, representing nearly two thirds of global GDP. And, in 2022, agriculture and agri-food exports reached a record high of almost $93 billion, shattering our target of $75 billion by 2025, years ahead of schedule. To build on this momentum, as part of our Indo-Pacific strategy, we’re opening our first-ever agriculture and agri-food office in Asia. As Asian populations and economies grow, they’ll need more Canadian canola, Canadian pork, and all kinds of high-quality Canadian products. And we’re taking action to make sure Canada remains the supplier of choice.

We want to support the stability of the sector here at home as well. Supply management is a guarantee of quality and a guarantee of stability for the next generation. It’s a system that has worked very well for over 40 years and that will continue to work. When we renegotiated NAFTA, we got a good deal for the entire Canadian economy, but because the president was specifically targeting dairy farmers in particular, we had to compensate producers in the supply management sectors to get the right deal.

We have now delivered full and fair compensation to dairy, egg, and poultry farmers, and I promise Canadians that never again will Canada’s supply management system be up for negotiation in trade deals. There’s a bill in the House of Commons right now that would enshrine this into law and ensure future governments respect this promise. Supply management is important not only for dairy farmers, but for the entire agricultural community because it provides stability that their communities and the sector more broadly can count on.

As farmers, you work the land, you raise the animals, you feed Canada, you feed the world. You love what you do. It’s tough work and it’s essential work, and every Canadian is grateful. We’ve seen over the past years, through the pandemic, through the anxieties around supply chains, just how unfortunately too many of us take for granted the hard work that you do every single day. Canadians are beginning to understand more than ever before how important it is to be able to rely on local, high-quality Canadian producers of the food that they rely on, the goods they want to support their families with, how we build a stronger economy and a stronger future for everyone.

We need more farmers. We need the next generation to be there to continue producing the quality food that Canada is known for. It needs to be a good future for the next generation.

So now I’m looking forward to opening it up and hearing from all of you. Because, as leaders, it’s important to have a dialogue with the people that we choose to serve, so we can be there with what you need for today and into the future, to strengthen our family farms and build a stronger, more resilient, more inclusive agricultural sector as a vibrant part of an economy that works for all Canadians.