Vaden criticized Mosaic’s announcement last week that it plans to idle two phosphate production facilities in Brazil as part of a cost-saving initiative. The company said the move would reduce its annual phosphate production by about 1 million tonnes.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canadian and U.S. farmers have seen already strained margins shrink as war in the Middle East has led to spiking fertilizer and fuel prices.

“What possible motivation other than further constraining supply, sowing uncertainty and padding their already sufficient profit margins could they possibly have?” Vaden said at a meeting of the North American Agricultural Journalists.

Vaden has spoken with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission about fertilizer prices and met with fertilizer company Nutrien a few weeks ago, he said.

U.S. won’t accept ‘price gouging’ Trump says

President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social on April 11 that “the United States will not accept price gouging from the fertilizer monopoly” during the war with Iran, after which Mosaic posted to X that fertilizer prices are driven by supply and demand, weather, geopolitical conditions and other factors

“So disappointed in this response,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted to X on Monday, referring to Mosaic’s post

Mosaic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Following Trump’s April 11 comments, analyst Josh Linville said on X that NOLA (New Orleans) urea is about US$150 cheaper than it should be compared to global economics. Phosphate exports are rapid “due to our discount vs the world,” said Linville, who is vice president for fertilizer with StoneX Group Inc.

“Fertilizer is not cheap, but manufacturers are not gouging right now,” he said.

—Additional reporting by Geralyn Wichers, Glacier FarmMedia

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In October last year, Corteva said it would separate its seed and pesticide businesses into separate listed companies to sharpen its strategic focus.

Kissam will become CEO of the new publicly listed company upon its separation, which Corteva said remains on track for the fourth quarter of 2026.

He previously served as chairman, president and CEO of Albemarlews,me vlbefore his retirement from the lithium miner in June 2020.

Corteva also said current CEO Chuck Magro will continue to be the top boss of “SpinCo,” the new company for its advanced seed and genetics business, with finance chief David Johnson as CFO.

— Reporting by Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru

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“(This) is a responsible measure that will reduce operating costs for truckers and businesses in the food, agriculture, housing, construction, and delivery sectors,” he said.

The measure is expected to reduce the cost of regular gasoline by 10 cents a liter and diesel by four cents a liter, he added.

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It will also likely mean Carney won’t have to worry about an election for years.

Capping off an extraordinary few months in Canada when several opposition members joined Carney’s Liberals, his party said in a statement it had secured seats in all three ridings.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canadian farmers and rural ridings, particularly in Western Canada, lean heavily toward the Conservative party in federal elections

Those were the Ontario ridings of University-Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest which have long voted Liberal as well as a hard-fought seat in Terrebonne, Quebec.

The wins take Carney’s Liberals to 174 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons.

“This is a decisive moment for Canada — one that calls for serious leadership, a strong economic plan, and leaders from all backgrounds standing up to build a better future,” the Liberal party said in a statement.

No longer reliant on other parties’ support

The Liberals have relied on selective support from the Conservatives to pass economic and trade-related legislation in the last year.

“He will be able to pass legislation without having to go to the opposition to secure enough votes,” said Andrew McDougall, assistant professor in Canadian politics at the University of Toronto.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre took to X to express his dissatisfaction at both the process and the result: “The Carney Liberals did not win a majority government through a general election or today’s by-elections. Instead, it was won through backroom deals with politicians who betrayed the people who voted for them.

“While the Prime Minister spent the year on this cynical power grab, he has doubled the deficit, and given Canada the worst grocery prices and housing costs in the G7,” he wrote.

The result means Carney has solidified his grip on leading Canada until at least 2029, when national elections are due to be held next. The last time a federal government had a majority in Parliament was under Justin Trudeau from 2015 to 2019.

His position had been strengthening gradually as five opposition legislators in five months defected to the Liberals. Only the governments led by John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, and Jean Chretien have seen more politicians defect to the ruling party.

‘Large Liberal tent’

Last Wednesday, longtime Conservative politician Marilyn Gladu switched parties to join Carney’s government, saying Canada needs “a serious leader who can address the uncertainty that has arrived due to the unjustified American tariffs.”

Gladu, a former chemical engineer who has previously drawn criticism for promoting unproven scientific treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic, opposing a ban on conversion therapy and suggesting the military be used to end Indigenous-led protests against oil pipelines, thanked Carney for inviting her into “the large Liberal tent.”

The University-Rosedale seat was previously held by former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who resigned after being appointed as economic development advisor in Ukraine.

The Liberals also said they won a special election to replace former Liberal lawmaker Bill Blair, who resigned after he was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom.

In the third riding in Terrebonne, Quebec, the Liberals defeated the separatist Bloc Quebecois.

Carney a centrist leader

Laura Stephenson, chair of the political science department at the University of Western Ontario, noted that while Trudeau had shifted the party to the left and prioritized issues like reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, rights for minority groups and immigration, there are more pressing matters for Carney, a more centrist leader.

“He is focused on helping Canada survive the economic turmoil, not remaking society,” she said. “When we’re in tough times like this, there are different calculations being made.”

Recent polling from Nanos shows more than half of Canadians prefer Carney as their prime minister, with just 23 per cent picking Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. Before Carney became leader of the Liberal Party last year, Poilievre had been projected to win the next election by more than 20 points.

“Carney has done a fairly good job showing Canadians he can handle Trump,” said McDougall of the University of Toronto. “He’s shown Canadians he’s a competent manager of the economy and the country,” he said. “And so far Canadians have not been overly impressed by the alternatives.”

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The attaché estimated harvested area in 2026-27 is to increase to 17.1 million hectares from 15.9 million, as more marginal land will be seeded with soybeans. That’s to see yields slip to 2.87 tonnes per hectare from 3.02 tonnes in 2025-26.

Spike in fertilizer prices

The Buenos Aires desk cautioned that with fertilizer prices spiking by more than US$200 per tonne due to the Middle East war, farmers could alter their planting intentions before hitting the fields. Even more soybeans could be seeded at the expense of more nitrogen-hungry corn.

• For daily market news and updates, visit The Western Producer Markets Desk

The attaché noted Argentina produces two soybean crops per year. About 70 per cent of the country’s soybeans come from the “soja primera,” or first soy crop, which is harvested during April and May. The balance is the “soja de segunda” or second crop of soybeans, which follows Argentina’s winter wheat harvest and combined from May into early July.

Reduced imports, higher ending stocks

Given that Argentina’s soybean imports increased to seven million tonnes in 2025-26, the attaché said there’s likely to be a return to more normal levels. With that, they lowered the country’s bean imports to 6.5 million tonnes for 2026-27.

As for ending stocks, they were forecast to continue to rise sharply. The attaché placed the carryover for 2024-25 at 3.65 million tonnes, and those for 2025-26 were upped to 5.15 million. While total domestic consumption is to slip by one million tonnes at 42 million in 2026-27, the carryout is to jump to 8.15 million.

Soybean crush

Although Argentina is expected to see a decline in its soybean crush, the Buenos Aires desk said the country is to remain the world’s top exporter of soymeal and soyoil. The attaché noted that Argentina’s crush capacity is likely to run at 63 per cent in the coming crop year, down from 86 per cent.

The 2026-27 crush is projected to produce 31.92 million tonnes of soymeal and 8.38 million of soyoil, with both to be slightly lower than in 2025-26.

The exports are expected to hold in 2026-27 with soymeal at 30 million tonnes and soyoil at 6.3 million.

Canada now a customer

While China will remain the top export destination, the attaché said that Canada is the newest customer with soyoil heading to a refinery in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Total domestic consumption was pegged at 2.7 million tonnes for soybeans, up 200,000 from the previous year, and soyoil is trimmed to 2.25 million tonnes from 2.3 million.

Ending stocks are projected to fall in 2026-27, with soymeal at 2.24 million tonnes from 3.02 million and soyoil declining to 102,000 tonnes from 262,000.

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Yi Zeng, senior director for Asia and global commodities at the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP), said the area has high population and strong purchasing power.

China and India each have markets of 1.4 billion people, and 12 other major countries have about 600 million combined.

Zeng said the markets are there, as long as exporters know what they are getting into.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canada exported about $685 million worth of organic products in 2023 and continues to seek additional markets.

He includes Japan, South Korea and Taiwan as “Tier 1” countries because they have organic equivalency agreements with Canada. However, in South Korea, that includes only retail packaged foods and not commodities.

Japan presents an interesting proposition for organic exporters because of the health-conscious, aging population and the concept of living an organic life.

“They’re not only eating organic, they use everything organic,” he told the recent Advancing Organics conference in Regina.

They favour clothing made from organic cotton and silk, for example.

“Organic grain and organic pulses and also the organic ingredients for bakery purposes are the major products we can sell into Japan,” Zeng said.

Consumer cultures differ

However, he said exporters should keep in mind that Japanese consumers shop differently than those in North America. They shop daily after work instead of stocking up for a week or more. Packaging requirements are different because the purchases are carried home.

Honey is a good example.

In Canada, someone might buy a kilogram or more of honey. In Japan, “they are packing honey like we do cosmetics,” he said.

Small packages of 30 to 100 grams are better suited to the market. Similar packages would be required in Singapore and Hong Kong, he said.

Japan does not accept flax for human consumption.

Regardless of whether the flax is organic or conventional, the genetically modified content has to be zero. Japan also requires cyanide and glyphosate levels lower than 10 parts per million, Zeng said.

“All naturally grown flax in Saskatchewan, in Canada, cannot meet this safety standard,” he said.

Roasting the flax can be a way around this because it lowers those levels, but most imported flax is used for industrial purposes.

Hemp is another product to be cautious about when exporting.

Only Japan and South Korea accept it under their own national standards.

To meet Japanese specifications, the seeds must be treated so they don’t germinate. In South Korea, hemp seeds are considered a super food, but they must be hulled to be accepted.

Zeng said organic wheat, oats and barley are widely imported. Barley tea is popular, and both Japan and South Korea look for an organic pearl barley to make this product.

South Korea does not accept wild rice or quinoa and considers them both rice, even though neither of them are.

It also has a honey import quota of 200 tonnes from Canada, and Zeng said he knows of one major company that takes the majority of that quota. It would be difficult for an individual organic honey producer to gain much of the market.

Both countries have free trade agreements with Canada and rely on it for food security, he added.

Taiwan does not accept hemp, and none of the other countries aside from Japan and South Korea do.

Other markets, different challenges

Zeng considers the two city state countries of Singapore and Hong Kong as the second tier. Singapore has about five million people and Hong Kong seven million, and neither has farmland to produce what they need.

They will accept Canadian organic certification, although they don’t have official agreements, he said.

“Because they are more like cities, they are more interested in retail packaged organic products or the ingredients which they can use for bakery purposes,” he said.

Organic demand is small, and pretty much any product can enter except hemp.

Tier 3 markets include China and South Korea for commodities. Products have to be recertified to enter these markets.

Zeng said China should not be ignored because it already buys a lot of organic products from Saskatchewan, particularly for making plant proteins for beverages, starch and ingredients for the health industry.

He classifies emerging markets as Tier 4, saying the organic market hasn’t reached the same level as other countries in the region due to economic levels. These countries, which include India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Pakistan, need food and they aren’t necessarily picky when it comes to conventional or organic.

Zeng encouraged potential exporters to participate in trade missions with STEP and said the organization can help with things such as paperwork.

He also said they can meet international buyers at the Saskatchewan-Asia Trade Conference in Regina in September.

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In 2024, the MFGA welcomed the Senate report that called for a long-term soil health strategy for the nation, along with soil being named a national asset and designating a soil health advocate. Senator Rob Black, who has outspokenly pushed soil health on Parliament Hill and elsewhere, singled out the development of the strategy among 25 recommendations outlined in the report.

A little under two years later, there’s a promise from Ottawa to make that proposed strategy a reality.

On March 26, the federal government announced plans toward development of a national agricultural soil health strategy.

“It’s a critical time that we’re in, relevant to soil erosion, climate change, and everything that we’re doing with technology and innovation is to ensure that soil remains where it is,” federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said.

“(The strategy) is going to put an element of integrity on any research that’s being done in the future and hopefully that research can coincide with what we’re seeing here today.”

Manitoba support

It’s a “wonderful announcement,” MFGA executive director Duncan Morrison said.

“MFGA applauds the engagement of the strategy,” he said. “Of course, as with everything, the proof will be in the pudding as to how this is all mobilized, but on Day 1, it’s a great day.”

The organization, Morrison said, has thrown its weight behind the development of a strategy, both among its communications and its support of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) — another group that has pushed hard for a strategy, and that the government says will be tapped for input as the strategy is developed. He also pointed to letters of support and congratulations they have sent to Black and Senator Paula Simons, who also helped drive the 2024 Senate soil report.

Morrison further threw kudos to Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP).

KAP has helped get Manitoba farmers a seat at the table on the issue, he noted, adding the MFGA has since met with KAP and hopes to see outreach to the MFGA as “a farmer-focused group that has been pushing the soil health narrative hard for the last decade.”

“These things take time towards sorting out, and we sure hope that the regen ag practices and mindsets on our MFGA farmers’ farms are being valued and included here as part of the soil health solution,” Morrison said.

Soil health bill

The strategy announcement dovetails with gains for Black’s Bill S-230, the National Strategy for Soil Health Act, which closely follows the report’s 25 recommendations. That bill also passed in the Senate March 26, and MacDonald said Bill S-230 will inform the strategy.

During Bill S-230’s third reading, Black told the Senate chamber it was bolstering to know “the government not only supports the bill but is ready to move forward before it is legislated.”

Reading the AAFC’s intention to develop a national soil health strategy during the third reading showed the value of the Senate, Black said. “It also put (the government) on record, on notice that we’re watching,” Black said.

According to Black, work on the strategy to safeguard Canadian soil could begin as early as April and be completed and officially launched by December 2027.

Collaboration with farmers, industry pledged

Ideally, Black said, the national strategy will avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. It will include educational support, financial support, peer-to-peer networks and a position for a national soil health advocate. He noted Australia’s soil advocates have been very effective in promoting the adoption of soil health practices, but acknowledged the position comes with a cost.

Collaboration will play a key role in developing the strategy, with input from the SCCC, farmers, the agriculture industry, Indigenous communities, provinces and territories and related ministries.

For the MFGA’s part, Morrison said they are “determined to contribute and advance soil health awareness and encourage on-farm uptake of BMPs (best management practices).

“We have been pushing for exactly this type of structure, soil strategy and leadership for years,” he said.

Healthy soils important for all Canadians: Kruszel

The in-depth research by Black and the Senate committee on agriculture and forestry into Canada’s soil has highlighted the significance of healthy soil and the threats it faces, said Alan Kruszel, SCCC’s eastern producer director.

“Healthy soils are so important for producers as well as for all Canadians. Healthy soils provide the majority of the food we eat,” he said. “Soils help to purify our water, to clean our air and provide habitats for all kinds of life.”

Kruszel said the agriculture sector provides one in nine jobs nationally. Investment in soil health is ongoing through research, farm organizations, input suppliers and other groups to support the adoption of sustainable on-farm practices.

“Our intention through the national soil health strategy is to optimize those investments through collaborations,” he said. “And collectively working to identify gaps in research, measurement, education and extension, and of course, resources while establishing priority actions that we can all work on.”

— With files from Diana Martin

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In opening remarks, chair Rick Préjet said 2025 had been marked by “uncertainty, successes and optimism,” while highlighting the importance of export markets.

Those themes carried through panel discussions led by general manager Cam Dahl, who said Manitoba is particularly exposed because of its dependence on export markets.

“Trade really has become a key focus for Manitoba Pork,” he said, noting about 90 per cent of Manitoba production is exported either as live animals or pork products.

The discussion also swirled around tariffs and the increasingly protectionist tone of global trade. Canadian Pork Council executive director Steven Heckbert noted voluntary country-of-origin labelling (vCOOL) was introduced by Democrats, adding that both major U.S. parties have been moving in the same direction.

“We’re fighting a headwind of increased protectionism,” he said.

Trade concerns were also explored in a one-on-one discussion with Manitoba’s senior representative to the U.S., Richard Madan, who said that despite the rhetoric, there is still broad bipartisan support for smooth trade relations in agricultural states.

“Republicans, Democrats and stakeholders all understand the importance of integrated supply chains, and how Canada is part of a strong food supply system,” he said.

Biosecurity concerns also remain front and centre

Biosecurity was the other major focus. Speakers pointed to African swine fever preparedness, ongoing PED control efforts, wild pig eradication and the continued risk posed by senecavirus A. Recent low disease levels in Manitoba were attributed to stronger biosecurity, surveillance and coordination across the sector.

Dahl said protecting the sector depends in part on decisions made at the farm level.

“Don’t ship sick animals,” he said. “It’s not just your farm that you put at risk. It’s the entire Manitoba pork sector.”

The meeting also included discussion of Manitoba Pork’s public outreach and right-to-farm efforts. On the governance side, Margaret Rempel retired as board member at large and was replaced by Harv Toews.

Full coverage of the Manitoba Pork AGM will appear in the next edition of the Manitoba Co-operator.

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Oilseed crushers in Canada also depend on the U.S. for sales of canola meal. In 2024, 66 per cent of canola meal exports were shipped south of the border.

With the U.S. market worth $5.7 billion in canola sales last year, Canadian growers and industry leaders will be carefully watching the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.

On March 5, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the first round of bilateral discussions to prepare for the joint review of CUSMA.

The discussions were between Mexico and the U.S.; Canada wasn’t involved.

This tactic, of talking to Mexico and Canada separately, is possibly how the U.S. will approach the review, said Patrick Leblond, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

“There’s the (option) we renew CUSMA, but the U.S. negotiates bilaterally with Canada, bilaterally with Mexico, and then they try to fit that within the existing CUSMA.”

Another option would be for the countries to make bilateral deals outside of CUSMA, Leblond said.

Implications for farm futures

Many analysts, including Leblond, are deeply worried about the trade deal and potential outcomes. The Americans could pull out of CUSMA this summer and basically say the deal is invalid, he said.

“The Trump administration ultimately cannot be trusted. … We can negotiate, we can try to come to a deal, but we have no guarantee whether that deal will be respected.”

Others, including leaders in the canola industry, are more hopeful. U.S. farm organizations are strong supporters of the trade deal, and their lobbying could be a difference maker in Washington.

“We see really positive support from agriculture, on both sides of the border, for the benefits of CUSMA,” said Brittany Wood, ‪senior manager for transportation and trade policy with the Canadian Canola Growers Association.

Farm-level support is helpful, but there are also established supply chains between canola crushing plants in Western Canada and users of canola oil in the U.S.

Canola ripples and waves

Mondelez International, a food manufacturer with headquarters in Chicago, is a major buyer of canola oil for its line of snack foods, including Ritz crackers.

That’s just one example. Canola oil is the No. 2 edible oil in the U.S. market, says the Canola Council of Canada.

“We’ve traded canola oil into the United States, for decades … bottled oil, packaged food, restaurant use.” Wood said.

There’s also demand from the U.S. biofuel industry, which relies on canola oil to produce biodiesel and renewable diesel.

If there was a disruption in canola oil exports because Trump crushed CUSMA, the American market would be extremely difficult to replace.

Domestic surge

However, there are positive developments within Canada. Domestic use of canola oil has been increasing and is expected to climb in future years.

“In 2021, we had about one million tonnes of canola oil staying here in Canada,” Wood said.

Last year, the amount was around 1.6 million tonnes, thanks to additional demand from biofuel production.

Wood hopes that trend continues, but it will require regulations that encourage biofuel production and use in Canada.

“That is where we see the growth opportunity.”

Meanwhile, there may be room to rebuild canola oil exports to China. From 2016 to 2020, canola crushers exported 700,000 to 1.1 million tonnes annually. Since 2022, volumes have dropped to around 120,000 tonnes a year. With the federal government working to renew its relationship with Beijing, restoring that market could help offset reliance on the U.S. — though that prospect remains uncertain.

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“We share, as a sector, all the same attributes as the rest of the farming sectors from genetics to raising animals in pens and dealing with animal welfare issues and animal health issues,” said Tim Kennedy, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance.

WHY IT MATTERS: The aquaculture industry says demand is there for Canadian seafood but without sufficient support, its seeing more imported product moving into grocery stores.

The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance and seven provincial aquaculture organizations wrote a letter to the federal, provincial and territorial governments. They called on them to use Canada’s Next Policy Framework for Agriculture to help their sector grow — and to class the industry under Agriculture Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).

“Our lead department has been the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is a habitat protection and fisheries management department. They deal with the wild capture sector,” Kennedy said.

Aquaculture is the farming of fish and seafood.

Aquaculture as agriculture for growth

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans isn’t growth oriented. AAFC is, Kennedy said.

“We have flat lined in Canadian production for aquaculture for 20 years, and we have the largest coastline in the world.”

The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance has been asking to be classed under AAFC for the past ten years. The aquaculture industry could then be classed as agricultural and reap some of the same benefits as agricultural industries. For example, aquaculture farmers would have access to the AgriInnovate program.

The aquaculture sector would also like a collaborative insurance program for shellfish farmers and freshwater producers.

Aquaculture is a $5 billion sector in terms of economic activity — the equivalent of 1.4 per cent of farm gate sales in Canada.

“In terms of a relative comparison to the rest of the ag sector, that’s small,” said Kennedy. “One thing people should know is we’ve only been around as a commercial sector for 45 years. We’re young. Salmon production started 50 years ago.”

The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance has about 65 members. Members include people who raise fish such as salmon, rainbow trout, Artic char, mussels and oysters.

Aquaculture farmers also grow a small amount of seaweed, which is largely used for animal feed.

Atlantic salmon farming biggest growth area

Atlantic salmon make up 80 per cent of the aquaculture sector. They’re farmed in British Columbia, New Brunswick, and the other Atlantic provinces. There is some rainbow trout production in Ontario and on the Prairies.

“Atlantic salmon is the most popular seafood product in North America and increasingly in Europe and around the world,” Kennedy said. “It’s like the rest of the farming sector, when you have an animal, a breed that is particularly good for production, like Holsteins or Herefords. Atlantic salmon are good to raise as farmed animals.”

Atlantic salmon are easy to raise in pens, unlike Pacific salmon, which are much harder to farm.

The demand for seafood is there, especially for salmon.

“I think because of the lack of overall support for the aquaculture sector, we’ve seen some declines,” Kennedy said.

There have also been some government-mandated shutdowns in British Columbia.

In 2024, the federal government announced it would ban open net-pen salmon farming by June 2029 and would require farms to transition to closed containment or other aquaculture systems.

“What we’re seeing is more product coming from other countries, especially Chile, into Canadian grocery stores. Canadians can’t buy the Canadian salmon they want to buy. This has been a real problem,” Kennedy said.

A deeper partnership between Agriculture and Agri-food Canada and aquaculture would produce a lot more salmon in Canada, for Canadians.

“I’d say globally as well. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world. There is an increasing demand for high quality animal protein. We’re low carbon footprint. We’re a very efficient product,” he said. “For instance, in the salmon sector, we’re basically about one kilogram of feed is producing 1 kilogram of fish.”

Benefits for the rest of the farming sector

In the letter, the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance and the seven provincial groups highlighted value-added opportunities for the rest of the farm sector. When the sector first started, a lot of the fish was fed entirely marine based products. Now the Canadian sector only uses about 20 per cent marine based ingredients. About 80 per cent of the ingredients are from land-based farms.

The aquaculture sector is using oils, grains and ingredients like chicken offal, that would otherwise be put in waste products.

“If we can increase production, we’re going to increase the value add in Canada for other farmers,” said Kennedy.

The Next Policy Framework will be completed by 2028. Earlier this year, the federal government it was starting consultations across the country.

The next federal, provincial, territorial meeting will be held in Halifax in July. Kennedy said the areas of focus and decisions of what sectors are included under the Department of Agriculture and Agri-food could be announced by then.

“We’re still a couple of years away, but now is the time for all of the considerations and planning,” he said. “This is a very important time for us.”

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