What role does agriculture play in Canada's food security?

Agriculture is critical to Canadian food security, supplying most of the food Canadians eat and generating about $130 billion in farm-gate sales annually. The agriculture and agri-food sector contributes 7 per cent of Canadian GDP and employs about 2.3 million people across primary production, food processing, retail, and food service. Canada is a net food exporter, with trade surpluses in wheat, canola, beef, pork, and lentils.

Different regions specialise in different products. The prairies produce wheat, canola, barley, peas, lentils, mustard, and cattle. Ontario and Quebec lead in dairy, poultry, eggs, hogs, fruits, and vegetables. The Niagara Peninsula and Okanagan Valley produce wine. British Columbia leads in tree fruit and seafood. Atlantic Canada produces potatoes (Prince Edward Island is North America's most concentrated potato-growing region), blueberries, dairy, and aquaculture. Quebec produces about 90 per cent of Canadian maple syrup.

Federal-provincial frameworks govern the sector. The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (2023-2028) is a $3.5 billion programme funding innovation, climate adaptation, market development, and risk management. Business risk management programmes (AgriStability, AgriInsurance, AgriInvest, AgriRecovery) protect farmers against weather and price shocks. Supply management for dairy, poultry, eggs, and turkey, established in the 1970s, uses production quotas, price-setting, and import controls to stabilise farmer income.

Modern challenges include climate change, labour shortages, succession planning, and trade access. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program brought about 60,000 seasonal workers in 2023, mostly from Mexico, Jamaica, and the Caribbean. The federal Living Wage and Workforce strategy targets domestic agricultural-labour development. Drought, wildfires, and unseasonal frost in the prairies in recent years have driven the largest payouts in AgriInsurance history. Trade-access wins under CUSMA, CETA, CPTPP, and bilateral deals with South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine open new markets for Canadian producers.