Honourable colleagues, at the outset, I would like to offer my condolences to the Royal Family and to all those in this chamber, across Canada and the Commonwealth who have taken time this week to mourn and celebrate the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Today, I would like to share with you a little more about what I did over the last few months while away from the Red Chamber.

During the summer recess, I had the opportunity to visit many communities across Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan to learn more about Canadian agriculture, the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and the communities that support them, in addition to a trip to Scotland to attend the World Congress of Soil Science.

My tours included meetings with municipal officials at the Association of Municipalities Ontario conference, opening numerous rural fairs, tours of post-secondary institutions like the University of Saskatchewan and Olds College in Alberta, both of which are doing great work in agriculture, science, agronomy and agricultural technology.

I also visited with local economic development organizations and toured an oat-processing facility, a creamery, a Hutterite colony and a meat processing facility, among other things.

I’d like to say a very heartfelt thank you to all those who welcomed me to their communities over the past few months.

During the summer, I heard about many concerns and successes, as well as issues surrounding labour, supply chain concerns, food security and, of course, soil health.

Many sectors, including agriculture, are facing increased pressure related to supply chain concerns, rising prices as well as compounding factors such as climate change. This issue will tie specifically into the topic of soil health and how soil can help Canada meet its climate targets. With that in mind, I am extremely proud and excited to share with the chamber this afternoon that the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry began its soil health study this morning.

Yesterday, I also had the opportunity to once again visit an agricultural community just outside of Ottawa to attend the opening ceremonies and parade of the one hundred and third International Plowing Match and Rural Expo in nearby Kemptville.

I look forward to attending events again tomorrow and meeting with a group of young people involved in agriculture who will be there at that time.

Honourable colleagues, Canadians must recognize the important role that agriculture plays and our own role in supporting the many people who make up our food supply chain from coast to coast to coast. We should all be shouting from the rooftops about the great things our farmers and the ag industry are doing and that they have done to help put and keep food on our tables.

A healthy and strong agricultural industry can help Canada continue to be a world leader, have a stable food supply chain and meet important climate targets into the future.

I am hopeful that we will see continued support from all levels of government and the public as agriculture continues to work to enhance and strengthen their operations.

Thank you, meegwetch.