During a busy two-day lobbying session on October 6 and 7, FVGC staff and the four Advocacy Working Group Chairs (Beth Connery – Labour, Chris Duyvelshoff – Crop Protection, Catherine Lessard – BRM, and Jason Whitcher – Trade and Competitiveness) met with senior government bureaucrats, elected officials, and political staff in advance of the federal government’s expected fall budget announcement.
The meetings provided a direct forum for engaging with policymakers and underscored the increasing pressures on fruit and vegetable growers across Canada, including challenges related to increased input costs (diesel and fertilizer), extreme weather, labour challenges, and trade uncertainty.
Under the overarching goal of embedding a food lens in all federal government decision-making, FVGC presented its four priority asks during the meetings:
- Provide more timely access to effective crop protection tools;
- Modernize BRM programs to include mitigation measures;
- Maintain CUSMA and treat perishable fruit and vegetable products as a distinct priority during trade disruptions, and
- Protect labour stability for fruit and vegetable production.
The participating departments, offices, and officials included Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada-U.S. Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs, Employment and Social Development Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Health Canada, MP John Barlow (Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food), and Senator Mary Robinson (Chair, Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry).
“The meetings we had over these two days provided an excellent opportunity to sit down with political leaders and policy makers to share the opportunities that exist within our sector, and to discuss the increasing pressures facing growers,” said Stephen Heckbert, FVGC’s Executive Director. “We look forward to continuing to advocate with the government to strengthen our sector and ensure our members’ needs are addressed in federal policy.”
As the voice of the Canadian fruit and vegetable industry, FVGC will continue to advocate on behalf of its growers to secure the future of Canadian fruit and vegetable production and safeguard food security for all Canadians.
For further information, please contact:
Matthew Perry
Manager, Policy and Communications
Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada
The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) represents growers across the country who produce more than 120 different commodities, including apples, tender fruit, grapes, berries, field vegetables, potatoes, and greenhouse-grown vegetables. FVGC is a not-for-profit national association, and, since 1922, has advocated for a competitive fruit and vegetable sector, promoting food security for all Canadians.