Ottawa (Rural Roots Canada) – Agriculture and food processing were centre stage as key federal candidates went head-to-head in a spirited debate on the future of Canadian agriculture during the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s (CFA) Agriculture Leaders’ Debate, held April 17.

The debate featured John Barlow (Conservative Party), Kody Blois (Liberal Party), Heather Ray (New Democratic Party), Yves Perron (Bloc Québécois), and Dr. Maria Rodriguez (Green Party).

The forum, sponsored by Food, Health, and Consumer Products of Canada, focused on the most pressing issues facing the agricultural industry, including risk management, trade, regulatory modernization, competitiveness, sustainability, infrastructure, and labour.

Diverging Visions, Common Support

While all parties affirmed their commitment to supporting Canada’s agriculture sector, differences quickly emerged in how each proposed to tackle sector-specific challenges.

On competitiveness and trade, participants largely agreed on the need to reduce interprovincial trade barriers and improve Business Risk Management (BRM) programs. However, the scope of improvement varied, with the Conservative and Green parties calling for a full review of BRM programming.

There was cross-party agreement on protecting supply management in future trade negotiations. Additionally, several participants supported applying an economic and competitiveness lens to decisions by regulatory bodies such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA)—a stance long championed by the CFA.

READ MORE: Grain Growers of Canada Want Their Voices Heard in Election Campaign

CUSMA & Trade Irritants

When the upcoming review of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) was raised, all parties expressed the need for Canada to maintain a strong negotiating position. Both the Liberals and Conservatives rejected country-of-origin labelling and highlighted trade tensions over plastic packaging and front-of-pack labelling regulations. The Conservatives said they would repeal those policies.

Infrastructure & Innovation

Broadband, rail, and port infrastructure also featured heavily in the debate, with all parties recognizing their importance in boosting productivity, enabling market diversification, and attracting new entrants to the farming sector. The Liberals advocated for extending the inter-switching rail pilot program. At the same time, the Conservatives pushed for a permanent solution and reiterated their support for more pipelines to ease rail congestion.

Looking Ahead

CFA President Keith Currie said the debate offered valuable insights into how each party plans to support Canadian farmers.

“The debate is an excellent opportunity to give farmers across the country an idea of their party’s vision for the future, to help inform their votes,” said Currie. “CFA is very thankful to all the representatives that took part in the debate.”

He added that the CFA is committed to continuing its work with all parties to help Canadian agriculture realize its full potential.

The debate was moderated by Shaun Haney from RealAgriculture and Martin Ménard, a journalist with La Terre chez nous.