Chair's Message
As I reflect on my first year as Chair of Protein Industries Canada, I am reminded of a quote attributed to Chef José Andrés:
“Food is national security. Food is energy. Food is economy. It is employment, energy, history. Food is everything.”
When you have had the good fortune to spend your entire life as part of Canada’s agriculture and food sector, as I have, it’s easy to forget why we do what we do. And we do what we do because we understand the importance of food, and, more so, the opportunity—and maybe even the responsibility—Canada has to produce nutritious and sustainable food.
This is a mission that Protein Industries Canada takes very seriously.
In November of 2023, Protein Industries Canada released an updated version of The Road to $25 Billion. The Roadmap, which points to the goal of a $25 billion ingredient manufacturing and food processing industry for Canda by 2035, outlines the need for why increased investment in this important sector for Canada is necessary—and increasingly urgent. When one considers the ongoing geo-political tensions, more erratic weather patterns, increased global competition and a growing population, the need to secure our food supply is apparent.
Canada’s history is linked to agriculture. For nearly a century, Canada has been a favoured trading partner and a supplier of raw agricultural commodities. This is a part of our country’s identity. But there is more we can do to grow and secure our agriculture industry and our economy, and that is by growing our domestic processing sector.
Building on the Government of Canada’s $350 million investment into Protein Industries Canada, we can take this sector to the next level by increasing ingredient manufacturing, food processing and the production of bio-products. The benefits are many—first and foremost, the need for food will always exist. This will be a secure and resilient driver of our economy forever. Already, agriculture and food manufacturing is the largest employer in Canada and a major contributor to our GDP. In the future, with the right investment and guidance, this will only increase. In addition to economic benefits, increased domestic processing will:
- Bring benefits to farmers and local communities;
- Lessen the impact of emissions on global food systems;
- Create innovation-based jobs;
- Insulate Canada from further geo-political tensions;
- Position Canada as a leader in the global food systems shift; and
- Secure Canada’s food supply chain.
As we consider the future—whether that be in food, energy or the ongoing geo-political tensions—it is clear that agriculture will play an important role. It’s also clear that we need to give the sector the attention it deserves.
Over the next year, Protein Industries Canada will continue to advocate for our members and the sector. This includes continuing to engage the capital community, the consideration of policies to stimulate growth in the sector, innovation programming that is aligned with the agrifood sector, continued work on regulatory modernization, and the development of new customers and markets.
As Chair of the Board, I am committed to working closely with all our stakeholders to champion the growth of value-added agriculture in Canada. Together, we can build a more resilient, prosperous and sustainable future for Canada.
