Healthy, High-Quality Canadian Food for Canadians: National Food Policy in Agri-Food Mandate Letter

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Author: Nicole van Riel

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 13^th, 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.”

“At the Changing The Menu national school food conference, hosted by Farm to Cafeteria Canada, Equiterre and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and Food Secure Canada’s (FSC) AGM, everyone was discussing this mandate letter,” said Sustain Ontario Executive Director Phil Groff, who attended these two national food movement gatherings in Montreal last week. “All of the mandate letters released on Friday give reason to hope that the new government is embarking on an era of increased transparency, accountability, and commitment to evidence informed action. In particular, the letter to Minister MacAulay gives clear direction to develop a food policy with a focus on healthy living and domestically-produced foods, building a stronger agri-food sector with connections between Canadian ranchers, farmers and families.”

Further reason for hope that the Trudeau government may be committed to the food sector was the presence of Mark Holland (MP Ajax) in the end of day plenary at Changing the Menu, and Mark Eyking (MP Sydney-Victoria) at the FSC AGM.

Healthy, High-Quality Canadian Food for Canadians: National Food Policy in Agri-Food Mandate Letter

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