OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 8, 2025  /CNW/ - Yesterday, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, convened provincial and territorial Ministers of Agriculture to discuss several key areas of interest for Canada's agriculture sector in the current context of the Canada-United States trading relationship.

Ministers spoke of the well-established and valuable integration of international supply chains to both Canadian and American producers and businesses, and renewed their commitment to take ongoing collaborative action across orders of government in response to potential market disruptions.

Roundtable discussions focused on region-specific concerns, planned engagement activities, and ongoing trade negotiations with key partners. Ministers underscored the importance of international market expansion and diversification to support Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector and its contribution to our long-term prosperity.

Building on efforts already underway, Ministers spoke about ways to boost internal trade options and the importance of utilizing the suite of business risk management (BRM) programs to meet the current and future needs of producers.

Ministers expressed their support for coordinated approaches to help Canada adapt to changing and unpredictable international trading relationships, while increasing supply chain capacity to improve Canada's resilience and food security. Regional efforts to support grassroots 'choose Canadian' initiatives were also a topic of discussion.

The Government of Canada remains committed to ongoing engagement to help ensure the best possible outcomes for the sector and all Canadians.

Quote

"As Ministers responsible for agriculture and agri-food, it's our job to stand up for Canadian producers. Today's important discussion, and our continued partnership, will help to keep our supply chains running smoothly, the sector strong, and build lasting resilience."
     -   The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food  

Quick facts

• Canada and the United States enjoy one of the largest bilateral agricultural trading relationships in the world, creating jobs and economic opportunities in both countries.
• Canada and the United States are important trade partners for agri-food and seafood, with bilateral trade in these areas reaching $101.3 billion (CAD) in 2024.
• Canadian agri-food and seafood exports reached $99.1 billion in 2023, compared to $92.9 billion in 2022.
• In 2023, the whole agriculture and agri-food system employed 2.3 million people and represented 1 in 9 jobs in Canada.
• The agriculture and agri-food system generated $150.0 billion (around 7%) of Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023.
• The food and beverage processing sector is the largest manufacturing sector in Canada in terms of both GDP and employment, representing 15.5% of manufacturing GDP and 17.8% of manufacturing jobs.

Related Products

• Summary of items from the 2024 Annual Meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers of Agriculture

Associated links

• Business risk management programs
  • AgriStability
  • AgriInvest
• Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada