By Alice McFarlane

Agricultural debate showcases national parties’ priorities prior to election

Apr 21, 2025 | 3:11 PM

Representatives from five national political parties spoke to the most pressing issues facing Canadian agriculture at a debate sponsored by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA).

Participants for the debate included Heather Ray with the NDP, Bloc Québécois spokesperson Yves Perron, John Barlow with the Conservative Party, current Agriculture Minister and Liberal Party candidate Kody Blois and Dr. Maria Rodriguez with the Green Party.

The participants had an animated discussion around their vision for the future of Canadian agriculture and how their parties would deal with current issues in the sector and while all five parties were supportive of Canada’s agriculture sector, they differed in their visions of its future and how to help the sector achieve its potential.

Competitiveness and Trade

When asked about increasing the competitiveness of Canadian agriculture, all parties agreed that interprovincial trade barriers and regulations should be reduced to help grow the Canadian domestic market.

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There was also agreement that Business Risk Management (BRM) programs needed to be improved for both timeliness and efficiency, though debaters disagreed on the breadth of those changes, with the Conservatives and Green Party calling for a full review of BRM programming.

All parties committed to protecting supply management in future trade deals.

A number of parties were also in agreement that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) needed to apply an economic lens to their regulatory decisions that impact agriculture. This has also been a platform priority for CFA, which has called for a similar lens of competitiveness for all regulatory bodies.

The Conservative representative accused the Liberal party of increasing costs for farmers through their policies while the Liberals noted that the Conservatives were the last government to make cuts to BRM programs.

CUSMA Review

All parties agreed that Canada needed to be strong in negotiations and protect Canadian agriculture.

The Conservatives and Liberals both noted they would oppose country of origin labeling. The Conservatives also noted they would repeal recent plastic packaging and front of pack labeling regulations that were trade irritants between Canada and the US.

Infrastructure

All parties agreed that infrastructure was a core concern and were also in agreement that there should be increased investments in ports to allow for market diversification.

All parties also agreed that broadband infrastructure was a key component in attracting young and new entrants to the sector, and transportation infrastructure would also help with labour issues by providing consistent and reliable transportation.

The Liberals noted the interswitching pilot for railways needs to be extended, while Conservatives suggested a permanent solution is warranted.

The Conservatives noted their commitment for an energy utility corridor, which would free up rail capacity for agricultural products.

CFA President Keith Currie said the debate gave the agriculture community a chance to hear each party’s vision for Canada.

“The debate is an excellent opportunity to give farmers across the country an idea of their party’s vision for the future, to help inform their votes. CFA is very thankful to all the representatives that took part in the debate,” Currie said. “CFA looks forward to working together with all representatives in our next federal government to help Canadian agriculture reach its vast potential.”

A recording of the debate can be found on the CFA YouTube channel.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @farmnewsNOW