Ministers were united in the need to improve BRM programs
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Prior to the FPT Ag Ministers’ Meeting in Whitehorse, Farms.com connected with multiple ministers to discuss their priorities leading up to the meeting.
Now that the meetings have concluded, Farms.com is once again speaking with ministers about their takeaways from the meeting and next steps to ensure some of the items outlined in the joint communique come to fruition.
The first minister to participate is Pam Alexis, the minister of agriculture in B.C., who noted strong collaboration between colleagues.
“I was pleasantly surprised at how unanimous we were in the voice,” she told Farms.com. “That was an excellent takeaway, and I was so proud to be part of that.”
One of the commitments from the FPT meetings is the need to optimize business risk management programs to ensure they’re available and viable for producers.
Multiple ministers identified the need for change, Minister Alexis said.
“I wasn’t the only voice concerned about the lack of change over the last several years,” she said.
Pam Alexis
Take AgriRecovery, for example. A provincial government must send an application to the federal government before a response can be triggered.
“It’s very sluggish in response and you basically have to re-invent the wheel every time you apply for the program,” Minister Alexis said. “But if we increase the limits to AgriStability, we can reduce the need for AgriRecovery and help those that are in real need and not need to wait for such a long time.”
An event that coincided with the FPT meetings is Canada’s large grocery retailers signing onto the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct.
The FPT communique highlighted a $1.2 million investment to establish the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct Adjudication Office.
“I have to give credit to (Quebec) Minister Lamontagne, who’s been working on this for multiple years,” Minister Alexis said. “It’s huge news to have this announced because it means, for the consumer, that they will be assured that there’s rationale in how the system works.”
Another topic ministers agreed to work on is interprovincial trade.
Alberta, for example, is concerned with B.C. wineries selling directly to consumers because it could violate tax rules.
Ministers committed to working together to find ways to increase interprovincial trade while still respecting jurisdictions, Minister Alexis said.
One topic that didn’t make it into the joint communique, but Minister Alexis wanted to highlight is mental health for farmers in the ag industry.
When farmers are experiencing pest, disease or climate pressures, mental health supports need to be in place to help them through the challenging times, she said.
“We have to make sure we think about the supports necessary to help farmers through really rough times, and continue to invest in mental health programs,” she said. “For me that’s always been a priority.”
Be sure to check Farms.com often for more minister input regarding the recent FPT meetings.
If you or anyone you know requires mental health support, multiple resources are available:
- 9-8-8 is Canada’s national three-digit mental health hotline.
- Do More Ag is the national organization dedicated to championing mental health in ag.
- In the Know, developed by the University of Guelph, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Mental Health Association, is tailored for farmers and the ag community.
Farms.com has also compiled a list of available resources.