NDP Has Plan For Canadian Food Strategy

The NDP has released its agriculture platform ahead of the September 20th federal election.

Margaret Smith is a candidate in the riding of Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman

"We would be supporting sustainable agriculture which helps people to cope with things like drought and grasshoppers. We're making sure that we're working with the agricultural sector so that we help them to access low carbon tools and technology and to adapt better to sustainable kinds of practices in farming, so that they can adapt to these climate induced weather changes and other aspects of climate change crises."

The NDP election platform also lists the following priorities in relation to agriculture:

- New Democrats have a plan for a Canadian Food Strategy that will take a whole-of-government approach to address regional needs and priorities by investing in agricultural communities, supporting young and new farmers and taking steps to ensure that rural livelihoods are good and sustainable.

- New Democrats are committed to fully protecting supply management and ensuring reciprocity in all trade negotiations, and supporting our supply managed sectors as they innovate and grow.

- New Democrats will make sure that high-speed broadband and cell phone infrastructure is available to connect our farmers and rural communities to the services and tools they need, no matter where in the country they are.

- New Democrats will introduce a payment protection program for produce growers and take immediate steps to restore protection for growers selling to the United States under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.