Honourable senators, I have risen on a number of occasions in this chamber and in the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to speak about the importance of soil health. Today, I would like to highlight the United Nations World Soil Day, which takes place every December 5, which is this Sunday. This year’s campaign, Halt soil salinization, Boost soil productivity, aims to raise awareness of the growing challenges in soil management, fighting soil salinization and increasing soil health awareness.

As a longstanding member of Ontario’s agricultural community, I know just how important the health of soils is to all of us. In fact, while I was off the Hill this past summer, I was on the farms and in the fields. During the summer recess and into the fall harvest season, I had the opportunity to visit many communities across Ontario, from Bayfield to Ottawa, Thunder Bay to Wellington County and many communities in between, in addition to touring parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to learn more about Canadian agriculture, the work being done, the challenges faced and the successes achieved by farmers across this great country. My tours also included meetings with municipal officials; opening agricultural fairs; visits to carrot and potato farms; beef, sheep and bison farms; breweries, wineries and cideries; local research stations; and innovative greenhouses, among many others.

During my tours, I heard about many issues, including those surrounding labour, infrastructure and transportation, irrigation and water, food security, carbon pricing and soil health, just to name a few. As one of Canada’s most precious natural resources, soil health and conservation was a top-of-mind matter as I heard from agriculture from across this country.

Agriculture is a complex and changing industry, and I believe it is in Canada’s best interests to continue to enhance and strengthen this sector to ensure that generations to come will be able to enjoy the fruits of its labours. In order for future generations to continue enjoying these fruits — and vegetables, among other agriculture products — the industry must be given the tools to continue being a leader on the global stage and become even more competitive. For that to be possible, our soils must remain healthy and arable.

Honourable senators, ensuring the health and conservation of Canadian soils is a shared responsibility and will require collective leadership and sustained commitment and action, not only by those directly responsible for managing soil across the country, but by all levels of government as well. I encourage you to take the time to learn more about the state of our soils while marking United Nations World Soil Day on December the 5 and support efforts to raise awareness and celebrate Canadian biodiversity. Thank you. Meegwetch.