QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Advisory Council on Economic Growth
June 2, 2022
Thank you, minister, for joining us here today.
I would like to request an update on the Barton report targets as they relate to the domestic agricultural industry. As you may know, I have asked our Government Representative in the Senate to confirm whether Canada is on track to meet the Barton report targets.
In his response, my honourable colleague highlighted that he was:
. . . advised that the recommendation to reach $75 billion in agricultural exports by 2025 is a target that the government is striving towards and, indeed, has internalized.
That being said, he also highlighted that we are about $1 billion short of reaching those export targets.
However, a recent post made by The Grower, which announced Canada Agriculture Day for 2023, highlighted that Canada earned $82 billion in exports in 2021, which is $7 billion more than the 2025 target.
Minister, could you clarify whether Canada has indeed met the Barton report targets regarding agricultural exports? Thank you.
Yes, we did reach $82 billion in exports last year. At the same time, it has been a hard year because of weather conditions, but the prices were good. I believe the trade agreements we have signed through the years and diversifying by opening up new markets are helping as well.
We have seen two new processing facilities for the canola industry, so it’s a good example of the investments being made in Canada in processing facilities, and adding value to our commodities also contributes to the economy and the success of our food sector in general.
We are also investing through AgriMarketing, which is a program that will support different sectors of the industry in diversifying their markets and opening up new opportunities.
So, yes, we’ve actually reached $82.2 billion, which is 10% more than the objective.
