TORONTO, ON (January 8, 2017) – TORONTO (January 8, 2018) – Canada’s AgGrowth Coalition welcomes the announcement of the formation of an External Advisory Panel to advise the ongoing FPT BRM review. As part of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Agricultural Ministers’ commitment to a comprehensive review of Business Risk Management (BRM), an external advisory panel was announced in late December.
The Coalition members appointed to the Panel include:
- Mark Brock – Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario and Member of AgGrowth Coalition
- Mary Robinson – Crop producer, Canadian Federation of Agriculture Director and Chair, Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council
- Dr. Rebecca Lee – Executive Director, Canadian Horticulture Council
The Coalition sees these appointments to the External Advisory Committee as a positive step in ensuring a partnership between the sector and government that will provide meaningful participation for the sector in the BRM review and guarantee that farmers have a significant voice in shaping the next generation of farming policy and programs.
“Agri-food is an economic powerhouse in Canada that supports economic, environmental and social benefits across the country and BRM programming that works plays an important role in helping farmers deliver these benefits,” said Mark Brock, Chair of the Grain Farmers of Ontario and the AgGrowth Coalition. “The sector has significant potential for global growth as outlined in the Barton report and we are pleased to see the FPT government look at ways to improve the current BRM suite available to farmers.”
The AgGrowth Coalition was established to ensure that sector leadership took a responsible and effective approach to realize the global opportunities in agriculture.
The agriculture sector believes it is critical to work in partnership with governments across the country to put in place the right policies and programs – that better reflect 21st century farming in Canada.
“We are asking the government to take a step back, assess how BRM programming can best support 21st farming, and ensure we are supporting the sector as effectively as possible,” said Jeff Nielsen, President of the Grain Growers of Canada and Vice-Chair of the Coalition. “Specifically, the BRM review process should provide meaningful engagement with the sector and be comprehensive – we are looking for a true partnership”.
AGgrowth Coalition
The AGgrowth Coalition is comprised of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Canola Growers Association, Grain Growers of Canada, Grain Farmers of Ontario, the National Sheep Network, and the Canadian Horticultural Council. The coalition is working towards comprehensive reform of business risk management programming for Canadian farmers.
Media Contacts:
Canadian Federation of Agriculture
Janice Hall
Director of Communications
Phone: 613-236-3633 ext. 2322
Email: communications@canadian-farmers.ca
Grain Growers of Canada
Lindsey Ehman
Manager, Communications & Stakeholder Relations
Phone: 613-233-9954 ext. 202
Email: lehman@ggc-pgc.ca
Canadian Canola Growers Association
Catherine Scovil
Director, Government Relations
Phone: 613-232-0223
Grain Farmers of Ontario
Debra Conlon
Government Relations
Phone: 416-805-4490
Email: dconlon@gfo.ca
Canadian Horticultural Council
Mark Wales
Chair of Business Risk Management Committee
Phone: 519-773-6706
National Sheep Network
Jennifer MacTavish
General Manager
Phone: 519-836-0043
Email: jmactavish@ontariosheep.org