Winnipeg hosts last regional session on Friday
By: Kate Ayers
Staff Reporter
Public input has ended as national food-policy sessions wrapped up with a final meeting in Winnipeg.
A Food Policy for Canada is setting goals based on health, environment, social and economics in the food industry. It also intends to identify short-term improvements to Canada’s food system.
Minister of agriculture and agri-food Lawrence MacAulay, Manitoba’s minister of agriculture Ralph Eichler, and Member of Parliament Doug Eyolfson participated in the public consultations, which ended on Friday, according to an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada release.
Sessions have taken place across the country. Discussions started in Charlottetown in August, with September stops in Vancouver, Yellowknife and Guelph. Participants were stakeholders, Indigenous representatives and key policy makers, stated the release.
Also, some 40,000 respondents offered food-issues input through an online survey that closed on Aug. 31.
“As we close our consultations on A Food Policy for Canada, I am pleased with the level of engagement and extensive feedback we have received from Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast,” said MacAulay.
“The diverse viewpoints we have heard will help us move forward in developing a food policy that reflects the priorities of Canadians.”
Government will now work on forming A Food Policy for Canada, to be released in 2018.
Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/ride-field-under-blue-sky-during-daytime-163882/