b'At issue is the balance between public and private research.public and private breeders are incentivized to get the best new Canada has long relied on its network of federally fundedvarieties to market. Germplasm access and sharing agreements research farmsestablished more than 140 years agotomust ensure collaboration without surrendering long-term generate varieties suited to the countrys diverse and oftencontrol of national resources, he adds.unforgiving climates. That infrastructure is critical, says Reid. Its something neither the private sector nor the provinces canLots on the Lineeasily replicate. The new political season in Ottawa promises to be a whirl-Yet Ottawa has also flirted with the idea of stepping back,wind of shifting priorities, tough trade negotiations, and fiscal letting the private sector shoulder more of the burden when itrestraint. Few understand the stakes better than Carla Ventin, comes to commercializing field-ready cultivars. SeCan licensesowner of Mile26 Strategy, who works closely with industry varieties from both private developers and public breeders, and itorganizations like the CSGA to navigate what comes next.sees danger in an all-or-nothing approach. What we really needThe biggest shadow over the industry is trade. Ventin is a balance where both sides can work together, Reid says. points to the review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agree-The example of Eastern Canada, where the erosion of publicment (CUSMA). Domestic politics are just as fraught. Pierre breeding led to a near-collapse of cereal research, looms large.Poilievres return to Parliament, new Liberal MPs from urban Rebuilding programs, he notes, is a long, slow road12 toridings, and rookie ministers managing regulatory moderniza-15 years before the first products even reach farmers. tion all shift the dynamics, she says.Seed companies and farmers alike worry about access toThe key is speaking with one voice, Ventin stresses. new varieties. Transparent, competitive commercializationThats what Canadians want, and its what we need when depends on a reliable pipeline of breeding material. That, innegotiating with giants like the U.S. and China.turn, requires public programs to provide the foundation.Then theres the recent budget. Departments were told over When we ask the private sector to invest more, we also havethe summer to find savings immediately.to ask: where does the basic germplasm come from? ReidCFIA and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada plant breed-points out. Without finished varieties that can achieve marketing programs are mission critical, Ventin says. But every share, upstream germplasm work risks gathering dust. program is under the microscope. If stakeholders dont speak In a pre-budget submission to the federal government,up about what works, they risk losing it.SeCan recently proposed a co-investment breeding model to maintain national capacity. The concept is straightforward:Protecting Core Assetspool funds from producer groups, seed royalties, industry andAfter five years of deliberation, the Canadian Food Inspection public sources into a coordinated system. The money is there,Agencys SRM process has reached a pivotal point with the says Reid. Its just a matter of getting everyone aligned in suchrelease of its policy paper and 52 proposals. For Doug Miller, a way that we can make it happen. executive director of the Canadian Seed Growers Association Such a model would depend on clarity about who does(CSGA), the milestone is significantbut its far from the end what. Pathology capacity, quality testing and other pre-com- of the journey.petitive work should remain in the public domain, while bothPeople sometimes ask me, When will we stop talking As Ottawa prepares to announce major cuts when it tables its budget in November, the seed sector is watching closely for impacts on public research.NOVEMBER 2025SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA 41'