Ontario premier and agriculture minister Kathleen Wynne wants her province’s agriculture and food sectors to double their growth rate over the next seven years, restoring it as Canada’s premier agricultural producer.
“I’m challenging Ontario’s agri-food industry to double its growth rate and create more than 120,000 jobs by 2020,” she said at an agri-food summit in Toronto Oct. 7. “I’ve always believed in the enormous potential of this sector. That’s why I took on the role of minister of agriculture and food earlier this year.”
She offered few details about how it could happen.
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As an urban Toronto politician and activist, Wynne’s decision to become agriculture minister as well as premier and intergovernmental affairs minister caught some rural leaders by surprise.
However, she has embraced the job, touring rural areas and hitting the rural fairs across the province during the summer.
The Liberal government is in a minority because it lost most of its rural and farm seats in the 2011 election.
Wynne also took on the job when Ontario, traditionally Canada’s largest agricultural province with a strong food processing sector, has fallen behind Saskatchewan as the leader in farm receipts and has watched many of its food processing plants close.
She implied that trend can be reversed.
“If we work together, there is no reason we cannot solidify our position as a world leader in food production,” said Wynne. And if the plan works, “Ontario will be among the top agri-food regions in North America. Ontario’s farm sector cash receipts will be in the top 10 in North America.”
She pledged government investment and support including a more aggressive effort to find out from industry what regulatory changes industry needs. “I give you my personal commitment that my government will continue to invest in your success.”
Progressive Conservative opposition critic Ernie Hardeman pointed a finger at the government for its lack of detail. He said it is part of the problem.
“With all due respect, many of our food processors are having trouble expanding due to your government’s policies,” he said.
Surveys show that more than three-quarters of farmers believe red tape is increasing, said Hardeman.
“Almost 70 percent of food processing companies said the number one thing that would allow them to sell more of their product is a reduction in government regulation.”
