OTTAWA, June 22, 2018 — The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) today is releasing its report on considerations to achieve the goals of the second “Barton Report,” released by the Federal Government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth. The council, led by Dominic Barton, set a target for Canada to export $75 billion in agri-food products by 2027. This would roughly double Canada’s export share in a decade and position Canada as the “trusted global leader in safe, nutritious and sustainable food for the 21st century.” The question CAPI set out to answer was “how do we realize Barton’s vision for Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector?”

CAPI’s report reflects what they had heard from stakeholders and issue experts during a series of workshops in Saskatoon, Guelph and Ottawa. These conversations, organized with agri-food sector partners, provided wise counsel about a long term sustainable vision for growth – rather than a perspective shaped or characterized by quick fix solutions.

“We have to rethink how we look at the sector for the future,” said Don Buckingham, President & CEO of CAPI. “The agriculture and agri-food sector has always been a dynamic sector, which plays a major role in our economic well-being. Now more than ever, the sector is central to our aspirations for our country’s future; it is time we accord it the importance it deserves.”

The report highlights useful insights around the opportunities, challenges, risks and trade-offs the sector faces. Most importantly, it offers important considerations necessary to unleash this future ‘quality growth’ which preserves natural capital while advancing consumer trust, health and well-being of Canadians, thereby enabling Canada to become an agriculture and agri-food powerhouse.

“We’re grateful for the efforts of all our workshop participants,” Buckingham added. “The second Barton Report marked the beginning of a substantive conversation about what long term, sustainable growth for agri-food production should look like in Canada. This report provides Canadians with some ‘dials on the dashboard’ that will encourage economic gains and achieve quality growth in the sector.”

Read CAPI’s report: What We Heard – Barton Forward: Optimizing Growth in the Agri-food Sector

About The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute

As an independent, non-partisan policy catalyst, CAPI brings insight, evidence and balance to emerging issues. CAPI provides a neutral place to hold dialogues and generate perspectives among leaders across the food system. For more information, visit www.capi-icpa.ca or follow us on Twitter: @CdnAgriFood

For further Information, contact:
Louise de Vynck
Communications Coordinator, CAPI
devynckl@capi-icpa.ca
613-759-1029

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