Since she took on the role droughts, floods, potato wart, avian influenza, trade challenges, provincial negotiations, environment issues and more
Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said she is confident Ottawa and the provinces will reach a deal on the next policy framework in July.
Some provinces are concerned about her insistence that environmental aspects be tied to parts of that framework and at last word ministers still hadn’t agreed on what the five-year agreement will contain.
But Bibeau said she believes the right balance can be struck.
“Obviously we still have a very ambitious objective in terms of reducing the emissions caused by the sector and being there to support farmers in this transition with actually $1.5 billion in agri-financial programming,” she said in an interview.
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“At the same time (we acknowledge) that it has to be done in a way that our farmers remain competitive on the international market.”
The Guelph Statement signed by the various jurisdictions last year sets out that the environment is to be a key part of the framework, she said.
Weather events in the last 12 months have shown the climate situation is getting serious, she said.
“We really have to walk the talk and take climate change seriously, because it is a big, big wave that is coming to us,” she said.
Money provided through AgriRecovery, other business risk management programs and even emergency assistance in the case of the British Columbia flooding highlights the need to be more resilient.
“It costs a lot, so it’s really worth investing in prevention,” said Bibeau.
The most recent federal agriculture budget was the largest ever.
“The department had never reached a $4 (billion) budget,” said Bibeau. “(This is) a way to say that our government is truly committed to be there to support our farmers and it’s often measured in terms of money so this is a testimony that we are walking the talk.”
Since Bibeau became minister, she has dealt with many crises including droughts, floods, potato wart, avian influenza and trade challenges. While environmental transition is a key part of the portfolio, she is at work on other aspects of her mandate letter.
She identified labour and the strategy currently in development as top of mind for her.
One change from her 2019 mandate letter to 2021 was a removal of proposed changes at Farm Credit Canada.
“We were talking about investing half a billion more in FCC and we did so, and actually because of COVID it has been invested in the institution so they could have this flexibility and additional capacity to support our farmers to get through the crisis,” Bibeau said. “The money flowed, but now because of all these crises we have decided to concentrate our efforts differently.”
As Parliament recesses for the summer, the minister is planning to visit all 10 provinces to meet with farmers. She plans to attend the Calgary Stampede before heading to Saskatoon for the next federal-provincial-territorial ministers’ annual meeting.
Bibeau said there is never a dull day in her portfolio.
“It’s a department I love, because we have a lot of relations with the farmers,” she said. “I like to think that I am a field minister and I’m at my best when I can work closely with men and women in the field.”
