It was a coup for the canola industry to convince Canada’s health minister to speak at a recent meeting where it announced research into canola’s health benefits.
However, while Tony Clement offered words of encouragement at the Parliament Hill breakfast Oct. 30, he made no financial commitment.
“It was our message to the minister that it would be helpful if there was a stronger partnership between the government and the industry on this issue,” said Tyler Bjornson, the Canola Council of Canada’s vice-president for corporate affairs.
Read Also
New coal mine proposal met with old concerns
A smaller version of the previously rejected Grassy Mountain coal mine project in Crowsnest Pass is back on the table, and the Livingstone Landowners Group continues to voice concerns about the environmental risks.
“Industry clearly has a role to play on health and nutrition issues but co-operation from the government also is needed.”
But for now, the industry is mainly on its own as it announced a Canola Product Research Fund that will make $400,000 available in each of the next three years. Canola growers and several large companies that service the industry also support the fund.
The first three projects involve research and clinical trials at the University of Manitoba, the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto to study the link between canola oil and control of heart-attack causing cholesterol and its ability to reduce the risk of diabetes.
In Winnipeg, Dave Hickling, council vice-president for canola utilization, said the Manitoba research on cholesterol will involve clinical tests on people with borderline high cholesterol by comparing the impact of a diet containing canola oil with a diet containing saturated fatty acids.
In the B.C. work, the impact of canola on the health of overweight women at risk of diabetes will be studied.
The Toronto work with diabetes patients will start next year once matching funds are found.
Hickling said those three projects will take most of the first funding allotment.
As well, he said Health Canada would not necessarily be the government partner that could come forward with cash. It could be Agriculture Canada or other departments, he said. “Health Canada doesn’t typically get involved with industry in that kind of project.”
