Consultations with Sask. producers ‘an opportunity’ for collaboration, says minister

Canada’s agriculture minister says he had a good conversation with a group of Saskatchewan agriculture stakeholders Tuesday, as he continues consultation with stakeholders from across the country on the government’s framework for future agriculture policies.

Minister Heath MacDonald says sitting down with industry leaders, including directors of research councils, producer associations and university deans, presents an opportunity on the research side of future policymaking.

“The message that I received in there was that we need more collaboration between the federal, provincial, private sector and public. And it goes everywhere from investment to streamlining and data,” MacDonald told reporters Tuesday following the meeting at the University of Saskatchewan.

The meeting, which was closed to the media, is among a series of other consultations between the minister and industry stakeholders that will help inform the development of the Next Policy Framework (NPF).

This is set to replace the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership — a five-year program that sets out strategic initiatives between the federal and provincial governments, set to end in 2028.

The NPF is expected to serve as the main agreement among federal, provincial and territorial governments, guiding future investments in programming to support the agriculture sector. It is expected to also be a five-year agreement, set to end in 2033.

MacDonald also says that stakeholders indicated they want to see regulatory impediments removed and remains optimistic about research opportunities in the province.

“I think there’s a real opportunity in the research side coming out of this. And that’s what I heard more so today as well,” he said.

Looming in the background of these discussions is the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) review, scheduled for this summer and top of mind for many Saskatchewan producers, as the U.S. was the province’s top agri-food export destination last year.

“The uncertainty that some of these negotiations play is challenging for our producers and ranchers, so we’ll continue to put them, keep them front of mind with every discussion we have,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald is scheduled to sit down with Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister, David Marit, on Wednesday, where talks will also focus on the NPF, provincial and federal collaboration, and addressing concerns surrounding Indian Head, Saskatchewan’s now-closed federal research farm, according to MacDonald.

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