TORONTO — Ontario premier and agriculture minister Kathleen Wynne says one of her government’s key goals is to raise the profile of the agriculture sector.
“I don’t think people are necessarily conscious of the magnitude of the agri-food sector or the challenges it is facing,” the new premier told a Conference Board of Canada conference on a national food strategy.
“I want them to know that the Ontario agri-food industry is a key driver of our economy.”
The agriculture and food sector is Ontario’s largest manufacturing sector, employing more than 700,000 workers and contributing $34 billion to the provincial economy.
Read Also
Saskatchewan Co-ops to acquire Blair’s locations
Blair’s Family of Companies will be turning over the operation of six ag retail locations in Saskatchewan to local Co-ops
She said the need for skilled workers one of the key challenges that she wants to help industry deal with.
“It is clear to me that we need a strategy at the provincial level to connect the labour force with the labour market and how to convince young people to consider a broader range of endeavour, and that’s a challenge,” she said.
Wynne said there is a bias in universities and among guidance counselors against trades and agricultural opportunities.
“We need to do a better job of finding ways to shine a light on the opportunities that are available.”
Wynne, who replaced former Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty after he stepped down earlier this year, is the first Ontario premier to hold the agriculture position in more than 60 years.
The Liberals, now in a minority government, have lost much of their rural political support during their almost decade-long period in power.
Her first legislative proposal for the sector is a Local Food Act, which is under debate in the legislature. She said it is a key part of a broader plan to connect city consumers with the farmers who produce their food, giving farmers more stable local markets and consumers healthy local produce.
In a later interview, Wynne said Ontario has put behind it the criticisms last year that the Growing Forward 2 plan reduces business risk management support for farmers.
She recently signed a deal with Ottawa that will give the province $417 million over five years in innovation and adaptation funding.
“I’m very excited about what that can do to help the industry change and grow,” she said.
“We’ve worked with the sector and we’ve worked with the agri-food sector and we think we’ve got it to a place where there will be enough resources to do the things we need to do.”
Ontario is also chair of the premiers’ conference this year, and Wynne said she will use the position to promote the need for better co-operation between provinces to set more standard agricultural rules and regulations.
Companies that operate nationally often complain about the need to comply with an array of conflicting requirements when they move from province to province.
She said it is one of the reasons she supports efforts to create a national food strategy.
