A key requirement in the upcoming review of the agricultural policy framework will be to keep it focused to make sure it doesn’t become a debating society trying to serve too many agendas, say farm leaders and officials.
The concern is being raised because the review will involve scores of bureaucrats, farmers and farm lobby officials. Committees will be large and many of the jurisdictions and sectors represented may have different priorities.
The review, to be launched late this year or in early 2005, will be overseen by a steering committee of as many as 30 people representing all provinces, the federal government and an equal number of farm representatives.
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Below the committee will be subcommittees examining each of the five elements of the APF – business risk management, science, environment, food safety and renewal. Technical groups on these topics also will be created, reporting to the subcommittees.
“Just because all the provinces want to be there and ministers agreed there would be equal industry representation, a lot of people will be involved,” said Howard Migie, assistant deputy minister at Agriculture Canada. “I hope we can keep the steering committee to 30.”
Provincial delegations will include industry representatives from the province. The federal delegation will be offset by an equal number of industry representatives with national mandates.
Farm groups involved with the review say the size of the endeavour holds some risk.
“We will have to be vigilant that the size of the committees doesn’t discourage doing precise work and keeping a focus,” said Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Bob Friesen. “We are very concerned about it. We don’t want it to become a large unwieldy process that ends up spinning its wheels. A very precise work plan will be required.”
At Grain Growers of Canada, executive director Cam Dahl said it is an early concern.
“It’s a concern but we’ll see,” he said. “There may not be a problem but sometimes with groups this size, it is difficult to keep a focus. It will be important to keep that in mind.”
