A Liberal majority government was elected in Oct. 19 federal election. While Canadian agriculture industry waits to see what a Grit government will have planned in terms of its agriculture policy and who the country’s next agriculture minister will be, here are a few snapshots of what was included in the Liberal campaign platform in regard to Canadian ag, courtesy of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture:_x000D_
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—To attract investment and create good jobs in food processing, the Liberals commit to investing $160 million, over four years, in an Agri-Food Value Added Investment Fund. This will provide technical and marketing assistance to help food processors develop new value- added products that reflect changing tastes and market opportunities._x000D_
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—To support innovation in the agricultural sector, the Liberals pledge an additional $100 million, over four years, in agricultural research. To better allocate research funding, they say they will establish a transparent process that involves food producers._x000D_
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—Commit to putting up $200 million a year for three years to help research facilities, small business incubators and exporters and invest another $100 million a year for an industrial research assistance program._x000D_
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—They noted support for the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Workforce Action Plan (developed by CFA/CAHRC)_x000D_
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—They pledge to continue to defend Canadian interests during trade negotiations, including supply management.
