Ag mentioned during Speech from the Throne

The government is committed to protecting farmers and supply management

The federal government is committed to supporting Canadian agriculture.

That’s part of the message Prime Minister Carney sent to Canadians through King Charles III during Tuesday’s Speech from the Throne.

During a portion of the speech about building a united Canada is where the king mentioned agriculture.

“The Government is determined to protect the institutions that bring these cultures and this identity to the world, like CBC/Radio-Canada,” he said. “It will protect the people who give us access to fresh, healthy, and quality food: agricultural producers. And it will protect supply management.”

Two ag groups have responded to the throne speech.

The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada supported ag’s inclusion.

“The recognition of the central role of agriculture in defining Canada’s identity and the need to protect it at a time of unprecedented shocks is welcome,” Massimo Bergamini, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement.

And the Canadian Federation of Agriculture says it “remains committed to ensuring a strong, sustainable future for Canadian farmers and the food systems that nourish us all,” the organization said on X.

The Liberal platform included a promise to protect supply management.

And new minister of agriculture Heath MacDonald has reaffirmed that commitment.

“Supply management is off the table. It’s a flat-out no. No discussion on it, and that’s the attitude we’re going to take,” he told The Guardian in an interview.

Farms.com has contacted Dairy Farmers of Canada and Egg Farmers of Canada for comment on supply management’s inclusion in the throne speech.