AIC Advocacy: Report from the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food recently undertook a study, “Advancements of Technology and Research in the Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector that can support Canadian Exports.”
AIC participated in this study in May 2018.
The Committee’s report was released today, and includes 23 recommendations:
Recommendation 1—Reducing the carbon footprint of the agricultural sector The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada incentivize the Canadian agriculture sector’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.
Recommendation 2—Creation of a technology monitoring initiative The Committee recommends that the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food institute a technology monitoring initiative to identify growth opportunities for the agriculture sector in international markets.
Recommendation 3—Transportation to export markets The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada increase capacity for transporting and shipping exports, particularly grain, and communicate infrastructure investments and planned results.
Recommendation 4—Promotion of job opportunities in the sector The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada undertake a campaign to promote high-tech job opportunities in the agriculture sector to Canadian youth.
Recommendation 5—Labour shortages The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada address labour shortages to increase capacity in food processing, equipment manufacturing, and in primary agriculture, year-round and seasonally.
Recommendation 6—Harmonization of regulatory requirements The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada enhance regulatory cooperation with its foreign partners to harmonize science-based regulatory requirements.
Recommendation 7—Providing resources to support Canadian exporters The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada provide the appropriate resources to support Canadian exporters by promoting the harmonization of science-based regulatory requirements within foreign jurisdictions.
Recommendation 8—Support for agriculture and agri-food businesses The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada support initiatives for the establishment, start-up and growth of agriculture and agrifood businesses using new technologies.
Recommendation 9—New regulations The Committee recommends that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Pest Management Regulatory Agency modernize regulatory approval processes and improve their performance.
Recommendation 10—Access to broadband Internet The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada continue to improve access to broadband Internet in rural farming communities by further investing and provide transparency on existing planned coverage.
Recommendation 11—Deduction for the acquisition of new farm equipment The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada create an expedited tax deduction process for the acquisition of new agricultural equipment
Recommendation 12—Review of Canada’s Income Tax Act The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada review Canada’s Income Tax Act to address the competitive imbalance between Canadian farmers and Canada’s main trade partners.
Recommendation 13—Simplification of the funding application process The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada simplify the application process for the Scientific Research and Experimental Development Program to include on-farm research to facilitate access to tax incentives.
Recommendation 14—Support to develop new products The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada improve access and awareness of programs to help companies take new products and technological processes from design to commercialization to export sales and trade services.
Recommendation 15—Agricultural products regulation review The Committee recommends that the Minister of Health review how Health Canada regulates agricultural products through the Office of Controlled Substances and coordinate with the Minister of Agriculture to identify and remedy regulatory oversights/overlaps that are inhibiting technological advancement and innovation in the agricultural industry.
Recommendation 16—Evaluation of the procedures and practices of the Department of Agriculture and Agri-food The Committee recommends that in order to ensure technological advancements and innovation in agriculture are not being hindered, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food undertake an evaluation of its procedures and practices regarding the Agricultural Growth Act.
Recommendation 17—Acceptance of products by export markets The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada resolve irritants and issues that limit innovation and competitiveness in export markets to have them accept domestically approved products or technological processes.
Recommendation 18—Review of regulatory processes The Committee recommends that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency undertake a review of its regulatory processes with the aim of evaluating how its procedures may inhibit technological advancement and innovation.
Recommendation 19—Modernizing the regulatory approval process The Committee recommends that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency modernize, simplify, and speed up the regulatory approval process so companies can take advantage of market opportunities as they arise.
Recommendation 20—Bringing science to the public The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada support knowledge transfer in agriculture to bring science to the public as new agricultural technologies are developed.
Recommendation 21—Public trust The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada allocate resources to inform the public about regulatory processes, and how regulators make their decisions, and to make this information public.
Recommendation 22—Open Information The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada provide more open access to information for federal research in agriculture and processing.
Recommendation 23—Priority on export and development That the Government of Canada put a priority on research and development projects that can result in export development and make this part of funding decisions