He’s outlined his vision for AAFC and met with members of the ag sector
Kody Blois isn’t wasting any time as Canada’s new federal minister of agriculture and rural development.
Since being sworn in as part of Prime Minister Carney’s cabinet on March 14, Blois has kept Canadians up to speed about his vision for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, while also meeting with ag stakeholders.
On March 18, he sent a letter to staff at AAFC outlining his approach to keeping Canada’s agriculture and food industry competitive.
His letter highlighted four ways the CFIA can help support this work.
This includes speeding up product approvals to provide farmers with alternatives to U.S.-sourced animal feed, harmonizing Canada’s BSE enhanced feed ban with U.S. requirements, looking at regulatory changes to level the playing field for Canadian farmers, and removing outdates prescriptive requirements and supporting innovation.
“I want to reduce red tape, put a competitive lens on every decision I make, and work hard to diversify our trade,” Blois said on X on March 18.
In response to the minister’s letter, Tyler McCann, the managing director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, said on X that Blois is bringing a different approach than what Canadians have seen in the past.
“The biggest impact may be the signal sent to the bureaucracy that the old way of doing things is over. This should have ripple effects,” he said in a post. “Caretaker convention will prevent changes from happening quickly, but it is positive the work is starting now.”
Providing faster approvals for farmers is an issue Blois worked on in the past.
In October 2023, he introduced Bill C-359, which would provide 90-day “provisional registration or approval of feeds, seeds and pest control products that are already approved by two or more trusted jurisdictions.”
Minister Blois also held meetings with members of Canada’s ag industry on Tuesday.
He spoke with reps from Dairy Farmers of Canada about supply management.
The system “plays a crucial role in maintaining our food sovereignty and ensuring a stable, secure food supply for all Canadians,” he said on X.
Blois may only have a few days left as ag minister before Canadians are thrust into a federal election campaign.
Parliament is scheduled to resume on March 24, but political commentators expect Prime Minister Carney to call an election before that date.