Agriculture is so ingrained in our culture and economy—not just here in the Okanagan but across our great province. Most everyone knows someone who runs a farm or agrifood business, is employed by one, or enjoys the ‘fruits’ of its labour.
Indeed, fruit is among our prized agricultural products in Kelowna and area. Our local growers work hard to produce the best apples, cherries and other tree fruits we all enjoy— and our talented vintners often capture these notes in their award-winning wines.
But when you look across B.C., you’ll find other high-quality agrifoods in every corner of it—from North Vancouver Island seafood to South Vancouver Island cheeses; from Fraser Valley poultry to Interior beef; from Peace Region canola to Kootenay honey.
I had the interests of all of B.C.’s producers and farmers on my mind at last week’s federal-provincial-territorial agriculture ministers meetings in Charlottetown, ensuring their voices were heard in Ottawa and around Canada.
One highlight of our discussions centred on the issue of supply management. We reaffirmed support for developing new markets around the world for Canadian products, including through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), while continuing to preserve the integrity of the supply management system.
I made clear that the B.C. government appreciates the hard work of dairy, poultry and egg producers and the trusted, consistent supply of the safe and high-quality food provided to British Columbians. I also reiterated our government’s support of maintaining supply management.
For those unfamiliar, The Trans-Pacific Partnership will deepen Canada’s trade ties in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region while enabling us to maintain a strong North American production platform, creating jobs and opportunity in our country.
I also brought the voice of B.C.’s seafood producers to the table, as I work with my counterparts to develop further opportunities for the sector to participate in future federal-provincial funded programs. We discussed upcoming negotiations for Growing Forward 3— our policy framework for Canada’s agricultural and agri-food sector—and I communicated the need for provincial flexibility to be part of the agreement, namely on seafood innovation.
I’m also pleased to report that among the other issues we discussed—like sustainability, pest control, and the importance of efficient transportation—was one of great importance to our local wine industry. I’m talking about direct-to-consumer wine and the need to remove internal barriers, which our Premier has also been actively advocating.
Our government continues to work to break down internal barriers to Canadian trade and urge other provinces to follow the leadership of B.C., Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan in facilitating the inter-provincial trade of wine.
We’ve seen B.C.’s agrifoods sector grow by over $1 billion in a few years, reaching $11.7 billion annually. My job is to make sure the sector continues to grow, and by continuing to work with B.C. agrifood producers and partnering with the Government of Canada, and provincial leaders, I’m going to get that job done.
You can help by continuing to buy local and support the farmer or agrifood producer in your life. It’s a delicious and healthy way to keep our local, provincial and even federal economy ‘growing’ forward.
