MLI study on the opportunities in the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector highlighted at Senate Committee

On May 8, 2012, MLI authors Kate Stiefelmeyer and Larry Martin appeared before the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to discuss their MLI study, Canadian Agriculture and Food: A Growing Hunger for Change, released in October 2011.

The Committee focused on research and innovation efforts in the agricultural sector and invited Stiefelmeyer and Martin as expert witnesses to present the findings of their study.

A webcast of the Committee meeting can be found here.

In Canadian Agriculture and Food: A Growing Hunger for Change, Martin and Stiefelmeyer argue that Canada is uniquely positioned to benefit from the increasing demand for food due to our vast tracts of arable land, abundant water, infrastructure, and long experience in agriculture. However, Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector is not keeping pace. They outline several factors that contribute to Canada’s poor performance and conclude that many of our laws and regulations are sadly out of date, “reflecting a mistaken belief that agriculture and food processing are industries of the past, not the future.” They argue that, “Canada’s potential as a food superpower can be unleashed by removing the barriers erected by poor policy.”

Related posts:

  1. MLI Paper – Prosperity in Canadian Agriculture: An Opportunity for More Jobs and Investment MEDIA RELEASE October 17, 2011, Ottawa, ON – More food will be eaten over the...
  2. The Globe and Mail: Ottawa can plant the seed for Canada to feed the world In the November 1, 2011 issue of The Globe and Mail, columnist Neil Reynolds writes about MLI’s...
  3. The Vancouver Sun: The world craves our food, agricultural expertise, but outdated regulations keep us from seizing the opportunity November 3, 2011 – In today’s Vancouver Sun, MLI author Larry Martin writes about how...
  4. MLI Fellow Alex Wilner appears at Senate Committee Yesterday, the Senate Special Committee on Anti-terrorism heard testimony from MLI Fellow Alexandre Wilner. A...
  5. Senate Committee Questions Dave Snow on Free to Learn On March 31, I appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and...

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