b'The Canadian Food Inspection Agencys headquarters are located in Ottawa, Ont.WHY CANADAS FOOD REGULATOR TOOK CENTRE STAGE IN A HEATED ELECTION DEBATEIn a political showdown that was supposed to be about agriculture, one unexpected player stole the spotlight: the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.Marc ZienkiewiczAT THE CANADIAN Federation of Agricultures national agHot Take 2: Reform is Already in Betaleaders debate in April, it wasnt the prime ministers nameLiberal MP Kody Blois, who at the time was ag minister and is often making headlinesit was the agency normally taskednow parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Mark Carney, with the quiet business of plant protection, food safety,didnt deny CFIA needs changehe just insists its already and regulatory oversight. But this year, the Canadian Foodhappening.Inspection Agency (CFIA) became political jet fuel. We have nine concrete measures CFIA is committed toDepending on who you ask, CFIA is either the launch- non-cost, all about reducing red tape and driving competitive-pad for Canadas agricultural innovation, or the regulatoryness, he said.choke point grinding progress to a halt. Blois positioned himself as a realist: one foot in the science, one in the market. His vision? A dual mandate that protects Hot Take 1: Retool or Risk Falling Behind public health and propels economic growth. Just days into his Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow didnt mincerole, he said he fast-tracked a reform blueprint after a face-to-words. face with CFIAs president.CFIA needs more than a push, he said. It needs aStill, the pitch didnt land with everyone. Why should complete retooling of its mandate, and to start being a part- farmers trust a government thats had nine years to fix this and ner to Canadian agriculture, not an adversary. done nothing until an election loomed? Barlow shot back.Barlow framed the agency as stuck in neutral while global competitors are flooring it. Think about CanadianHot Take 3: Who Does CFIA Really Serve?crop protection products in regulatory limbo while U.S.NDP candidate Heather Ray flipped the script entirely. Her counterparts fly through approvals. Or biotech tools greenlitissue wasnt speedit was purpose.abroad gathering dust in Ottawa. Regulations are great when theyre used in the right way for His solution? A 60-day service standard for regulatorythe right purpose, she said. Unnecessary regulations such as decisions and Canadian participation in a global regula- restrictions on seed saving further drive up costs for cash strapped tory alliancedesigned to cut duplication and acceleratefarmers, where multinational corporations rake in the profits.innovation pipelines. Ray accused CFIA of regulatory capture, pointing to what 14 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA JULY 2025'