The House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food today (April 4) released Minister MacAulay’s response to its report of December 11, 2017, “A Food Policy for Canada.”
The Government response is in many ways a “what we heard” report from the Government’s own consultations on a National Food Policy held in 2017. Without exception, the Government supports, either outright or in principle, all 21 of the Standing Committee’s recommendations.
The detailed response provides a very extensive catalogue — sort of a whole-of-government inventory — of the Federal Government’s initiatives, across all relevant Ministerial portfolios, intended to meet economic, social, health and environmental goals pertaining to agriculture and food, including food security and competitiveness along the food supply chain.
The covering letter from MacAulay provides a clear indication of the scope and depth of the National Food Policy:
“A Food Policy for Canada will set a long-term vision for the social, health, environmental and economic goals related to food, while identifying actions Canada can take in the short-term. It will address issues related to the production, processing, distribution and consumption of food. By working together and taking into account the many actors involved in Canada’s food system, including farmers, processors, retailers, consumers, academia, non-governmental organizations, and all orders of government, we will create a food policy that helps grow the Canadian economy, improve Canadians’ access to nutritions and safe food, improve health and food safety, and protect our environment.”
The letter and response, available on the House of Commons web-site, can be found here.