PROMISES, PROMISES – 2019 ELECTION WRAP-UP

Salty takes a look at the food-related platform promises of the recently re-elected Liberal government

As the dust settles on the federal election with a minority Liberal government win, we took their electoral platform and pulled out all the food-related promises. Promises related to tax cuts, family and child benefits, minimum wage, and small business incentives can ultimately put more food on our tables, but for our purposes we tried to stick to the food-specific or food industry ones.

So, with the election behind us here’s what the Liberal party said they’d do in their next mandate. The following is taken directly from the party platform but has been edited for length:

We will continue to invest in our coastal communities. To build on our investments in renewing and repairing small craft harbours, and to ensure that Canada’s coastal communities are home to good middle class jobs for years to come, we will move forward with increasing investments in small craft harbours by $40 million per year. We will also work with communities to develop local economic development plans so that these harbours better service the needs of the fishing industry and local residents.

We will move forward with increasing investments in small craft harbours by $40 million per year.

We will expand support for farmers facing major environmental and business risks. We will move forward with a collaborative review of Canada’s business risk management programs, with a special focus on Agri-Stability, and are prepared to increase federal support to farmers to help them manage risks beyond their control. We will also continue to work with farmers on tax measures to facilitate the intergenerational transfer of farms, making it easier for farmers to transfer or sell family farms to family members or others.

We will streamline services and boost investments to help Canada’s food producers and processors succeed and grow. To give food producers and processors better and more timely support, and to meet our goal of making Canada the world’s second-largest exporter of agricultural products by 2025, we will merge existing financial and advisory services currently scattered between several agencies into Farm Credit Canada, whose mandate will be expanded and enhanced. The new entity, Farm and Food Development Canada, will serve as a single point of service to help all parts of Canada’s food economy develop, grow, and export to new markets.

We will merge existing financial and advisory services currently scattered between several agencies into Farm Credit Canada, whose mandate will be expanded and enhanced.

To help more food businesses access the capital and support they need to succeed and grow, we will also move forward with increasing Farm and Food Development Canada’s capital lending capability by up to $5 billion per year, on top of the existing support delivered by Farm Credit Canada.

We will make sure that farmers in supply managed sectors get the help they need to succeed.

Recent trade deals present challenges for farmers in supply managed sectors. To date we have concluded arrangements with dairy producers and processors with respect to CETA, and have recently announced supports for dairy farmers relating to CPTPP. We will move forward to finish this work for all supply managed sectors, including processors, so they receive full and fair support. As CUSMA is ratified, we will take the same approach. Going forward, we will continue to defend supply management–and will work with all supply managed sectors to develop a vision for the future.

…we will continue to defend supply management

We will help our natural resources producers succeed and grow. With our abundant natural resources, Canada is also home to many of the key ingredients for cleaner fuels, such as canola, waste from agricultural crops, and wood. To help producers get the technology and infrastructure they need to scale up and create more good jobs, we will move forward with a new technology and commercial support fund, administered through Western Economic Diversification. This fund will help connect farmers, researchers, agribusinesses, and energy companies, and help give producers an advantage in the clean economy.

We will keep Canada’s fresh water safe and clean, even in a changing climate. We will move forward with a new Canada Water Agency.

We will move forward with a new Canada Water Agency.

We will protect the health of Canada’s oceans. To keep Canada’s oceans healthy, we will move forward with more investments in marine science and fighting invasive species, and will work with coastal communities, Indigenous communities, and others to better protect fish stocks and marine habitats from changes resulting from climate change. This will include introducing Canada’s first-ever Aquaculture Act. In British Columbia, we will work with the province to develop a responsible plan to transition from open net pen salmon farming in coastal waters to closed containment systems by 2025.

We will help boost confidence in Canadian fish and seafood products, with new rules for tracing and labelling. We will move forward with a “boat-to-plate” traceability program, developed in partnership with industry and environmental leaders.

About Salty Staff

A diverse group of people, the Salty team works hard each month to bring you great stories about PEI's food and farming community.

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