The Government of Canada is focused on building a stronger economy and making life more affordable for Canadians. Today, the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, on behalf of the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, highlighted the launch of the National Food Security Strategy.
Backed by more than $3 billion in investments over 10 years, this strategy will drive productivity and innovation, support independent grocers, and create greater competition across Canada's food system to help lower prices for Canadians.
While at the University of Alberta, Minister Olszewski outlined the Strategy's four main objectives:
1. Spur grocery store competition and create more choice for Canadians
Canada's new government will invest $1 billion in food infrastructure - including new and expanded food terminals and hubs - to help independent grocers buy and move competitively-priced products without relying on supply networks owned by large retail chains. Additional funding will also provide the Competition Bureau and Competition Tribunal with more resources to investigate, prevent, and combat unfair business practices.
2. Boost domestic food production across Canada
For decades, we've been paying other countries to convert what we already have into what we really need. This Strategy changes that. This Strategy launches a new $1 billion Agri-food Project Finance Fund through Farm Credit Canada (FCC), and a $150 million Food Security Fund to help Canadian businesses grow, produce, and process more food in Canada. The Strategy will also create a $100 million Collaborative Food Innovation Fund to help producers make better use of what they already grow - expanding processing so more parts of each crop are used, and so more value is kept in Canada.
As part of this work, the Government of Canada has also launched a Strategic Response Fund call for proposals, making up to $350 million available for large-scale projects that strengthen food processing, packaging, industrial systems and critical inputs in Canada. The fund will help Canadian businesses expand production, modernize operations, create jobs and build the supply-chain capacity needed to process more Canadian food here at home.
3. Grow fruits and vegetables year-round
We will invest $750 million to drastically expand year-round Canadian production of fruits and vegetables, through greenhouses, vertical farms, and other enclosed growing spaces, including in rural and Northern communities. The Strategy will reduce reliance on long, costly supply chains by expanding local food production.
4. Cut red tape across the agricultural supply chain
To reduce the regulatory burden on farmers and producers, we will modernise key regulations; speed up approvals for seeds, feed, fertilizers, and veterinary products; and reduce backlogs that slow down the system. This will help farmers access the tools they need sooner, increase productivity, and stabilise the food supply. The Strategy will also help provincially licensed food businesses meet federal requirements so that a Canadian- product made in one province or territory can more easily reach a shelf in another.
A country's sovereignty depends on its ability to feed itself, fuel itself, and defend itself. And right now, Canada is not fully in control of our own food system. Our overreliance on foreign suppliers has left us vulnerable to global shocks - to conflicts overseas, to droughts, and to tariffs. Our new National Food Security Strategy is about changing that. It is about putting Canadians back in control of what we grow, of what we buy, and of what we put on our tables, so that we can build a truly strong, affordable, resilient Canada for all.
