Manitoba ag organizations say they’re looking for support in business risk management, environmental stewardship and market access from freshly reappointed federal Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
“We are definitely pleased to see that she’s reappointed. We can really continue where we left off,” said Carson Callum, general manager for Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP).
Particularly because federal and provincial governments were mid-discussion on Canada’s next agriculture policy framework, he added.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his new cabinet on October 26, which included reinstating Bibeau as the minister of agriculture and agri-food. She was first appointed to the role in 2019.
Callum said MBP is looking to Bibeau to ensure the new policy framework, which would take effect in 2023, means to recognize the ecological goods and services beef producers provide.
Keystone Agriculture Producers (KAP) is also looking for environmental guidance, said president Bill Campbell.
“We understand that the federal government, the Liberal government, has focused quite a bit on the environment and so what is the role of agriculture as environmental stewards?” he said.
An ongoing concern, as talks over the framework continue, is the modernization and fine tuning of business risk management programs.
Campbell pointed to shortcomings in the AgriStability program, an issue it and other groups have repeatedly flagged with federal and provincial governments.
Bibeau also needs to ensure farmers have market access in a “new age of protectionism,” said Cam Dahl, Manitoba Pork Council’s general manager.
Ninety per cent of Manitoba’s pork is exported, so concerted efforts are needed to keep markets open, including in markets where Canada already has trade agreements, Dahl said.
The federal government needs to work on the deficit of agricultural labour, which is a barrier to growth, said Dahl. It also needs to continue to work on protecting swine herds from foreign diseases like African swine fever (ASF), which has decimated herds in China, parts of Europe, and recently cropped up in the Dominican Republic. More domestic diseases like porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) are also of great concern.
“It’s just such a critically important issue,” Dahl said.
The groups praised Bibeau for her collaborative approach and willingness to reach out to industry partners.
“She’s one of the most open ministers that I have worked with,” Dahl said.
Callum commended Bibeau for moving forward quickly with drought relief this year and for taking time to come to Manitoba to see the impact first hand.
“She has a great relationship with leadership within our industry, especially with CCA (Canadian Cattlemen’s Association),” he said.
Callum said he’s heard concerns from producers about the Liberal government not understanding western agriculture or rural life, but said Bibeau is getting a good handle on the beef sector’s priorities.
“All she can do is continue to learn about the rural priorities and that can influence all the work that she can do,” he said.
Dahl added that, particularly given the lack of rural Liberal MPs, agriculture needs a strong advocate in cabinet.
“We have somebody who really is able to pound the table once in a while and to ensure that her cabinet colleagues know the value of agriculture to the Canadian economy,” he said.
Bibeau and other cabinet members’ new mandate letters were yet to be published at time of writing.
