The governments of Canada and Manitoba are renewing their financial support for the mental health and wellness of Manitoba's agricultural community, announcing a 2-year, $300,000 extension to the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program (MFWP) through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced today.
The program is designed specifically for the agriculture community, providing counselling services delivered by professionals with agricultural literacy. These counsellors understand the unique stressors farmers, farm families, and agricultural employees face, including extreme weather events, market volatility, rising input costs, labour challenges, and the demands of running multi-generational family operations and provides targeted supports to address these stressors.
The MFWP was created in response to the increasingly complex challenges farmers face. Built on principles of accessibility, confidentiality, and agricultural literacy, the program provides timely, no-cost counselling tailored to farmers, their families, and farm employees. It reduces barriers to support by offering flexible, farmer-centered care, helping participants manage financial pressures, family conflicts, operational stress, or personal well-being challenges.
The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a 5-year, $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada's agriculture, agri‐food, and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5-billion commitment that is cost-shared 60% federally and 40% provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
