Senator Terry Mercer, Deputy Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, gave a speech to a conference hosted by the Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC) on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. The AIC 2016 conference examined how to transform research and innovation into real change for the producers, farmers and consumers who would most benefit. This is a condensed version of his remarks.

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I am happy to be here today to discuss innovation in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector.

The agriculture sector faces challenges like the environment, access to limited natural resources and global population growth.

But these push industry stakeholders to be creative and resilient so that agriculture can continue to fulfill its primary function: feeding Canada and the world.

I’m heartened that the Agriculture Institute of Canada has been using principles highlighted in our committee’s report on agricultural innovation called Innovation in Agriculture: The Key to Feeding a Growing Population.

Promoting research and innovation is, of course, just one part of the puzzle. Unless the results of research and innovation are transferred to the field and adopted by agriculture and agri-food stakeholders, the puzzle is incomplete.

The transfer of scientific knowledge should result in the production of new business processes and the marketing of value-added products, while taking into account market needs and environmental and social issues.

Consumers and retailers alike are becoming more aware of other problems in the system. Look at Cheerios — they removed the bee mascot from its cereal boxes to highlight the plight of bees. That’s something our committee has looked into as well.

Cheerios’ latest promotion, ‘Bring Back the Bees,’ is a campaign to inform Canadians about the global instability of bee populations, due to things like disease and pesticide use.

Canada’s agriculture and agri-food stakeholders can be proud of their successes.

Canola is an example. Invented in the 1970s right here in Canada, canola is now one of our most profitable crops. Through research, the nutritional properties of canola oil and meal have been greatly improved — today canola is recognized as one of the healthiest cooking oils available.

Not only do we need to remind Canadians of our successes, we need to remind the world that we are indeed paying attention and are a major contributor to scientific evidence, technology, and innovation that will ensure Canada’s place in the agricultural world at large.

The production, sale and marketing of products and value-added services are critical to improving productivity and increasing the profitability of industry stakeholders, both here in Canada and around the world

This is what many witnesses have told our agriculture and forestry committee, as we study international market access priorities for the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.

Several witnesses said innovation and multi-sector research play a role in developing strategies to encourage the consumption of Canadian products and reassure consumers about the quality and safety of Canadian products they consume.

Working together with all partners to ensure a sustainable agriculture sector must include an honest dialogue about our systems, our trade deals and our relationships with all stakeholders, especially our farmers.

It is also imperative to continue to invest in measures that bridge the “valley of death,” which the World Intellectual Property Organization defines as the time an invention has been prototyped to the launching of the new product in the market.

I am encouraged for what the future holds for the sector in Canada and look forward to continued co-operation to ensure that Canada can not only feed itself but be a beacon to an ever-growing world.

Thank you for inviting me to join you today.

Note to readers: The Honourable Terry M. Mercer retired from the Senate of Canada in May 2022. Learn more about his work in Parliament.