Healthy, High-Quality Canadian Food for Canadians: National Food Policy in Agri-Food Mandate Letter
Posted: November 18, 2015
Categories: Food in the News / GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario / Policy News
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)
On Friday November 13th, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released the federal mandate letters, describing the duties and responsibilities his ministers need to fulfill. An exciting highlight is the Agri-Food mandate letter including promising language of a national food policy that promotes healthy living and Canadian-grown foods.
Not only is this a tribute to governmental transparency, it also reveals the duties and responsibilities all the Cabinet Ministers. Regarding food, the Agri-Food Mandate Letter that Prime Minister Trudeau issued to Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay the following directions:
- “Develop a food policy that promotes healthy living and safe food by putting more healthy, high-quality food, produced by Canadian ranchers and farmers, on the tables of families across the country.”
- “…As Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, your overarching goal will be to support the agricultural sector in a way that allows it to be a leader in job creation and innovation. You will implement our government’s plan to help Canada’s agriculture sector be more innovative, safer, and stronger. Canada’s farmers, ranchers and food processors are the foundation of our food sector. Government must use its policy and financial tools to support the agricultural sector in its vital work. This includes helping the sector, including getting product to market, water management, research and innovation, food safety and export support. …”
According to Food Secure Canada, who led a national coalition in the Eat Think Vote Campaign on the need for such policy: “The mandate letters make Ministers accountable for a collaborative style of leadership within the federal government and with other levels of government, and state an important commitment to renewing a nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous Peoples.”
Further Reading
For an overview of all the federal mandate letters related to food, read “Food Policy on New Federal Government Agenda” with analysis by Kathleen Gibson (FSC Board) and Diana Bronson (FSC Executive Director).
In 2014, the Government of Ontario released its mandate letters for the members of Premier Wynne’s Cabinet. Read our blog post covering their relevance to food and farming in Ontario.
6 responses to “Healthy, High-Quality Canadian Food for Canadians: National Food Policy in Agri-Food Mandate Letter”
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I have been having a series of unsatisfactory exchanges with the previous Government regarding approval of Glyphosate (RoundUp) for Canadian agriculture, through direct mail, email, Access To Information based request and petition (https://www.change.org/p/minister-of-health-canada-justin-trudeau-health-canada-prove-glyphosate-is-safe?recruiter=16360852&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive)
I feel reasonably confident that our Government has not followed its own rules when it approved Glyphosate for use as a desiccant or as a weed killer to be applied on food crops.
I intend to renew my correspondence with the new Government, asking for details of the safety test on Glyphosate that it is supposed to have studied before its approval. It is also my understanding of the law that if the safety data of a product cannot be disclosed to the people, that the product itself cannot be released among the people either.
I intend to check how things develop here, and what influence Food Secure Canada has in this area.
I hope that involves kicking Monsanto out of Canada before the TPP comes into affect and we will be forced to eat their poison or be sued to protect the companies bottom line because they can’t compete as people demand better than genetically engineered crops disguised as food.
I hope they include labeling genetically modified produce, radiated vegetables, tighter regulations on salmon farming practices and address the over regulation of our commercial salmon fishing industry!
To clarify – the Changing the Menu conference was hosted by Heart and Stroke Foundation, Farm to Cafeteria Canada and Équiterre.
These announcements by our federal government on the opening day of the Changing the Menu – Canada’s first National school food conference elevated the pitch of excitement amongst 450 school food change makers from across the nation. The announcement of a .5 M farm to school grant program by Farm to Cafeteria Canada and the Whole Kids Foundation that enable schools in BC and ON to roll up their sleeves to dig right in while the policy makers plan…was icing on the cake. It was a pleasure to co-host this event with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Equiterre supported by our Nourishing School Communities partners. The future is bright! Joanne Bays, National Manager Farm to Cafeteria Canada http://www.farmtocafeteriacanada.ca
Hi Micheline, the correction has been made!