Minister MacAulay attends Seafood Expo North America in Boston to promote Canadian seafood

Ottawa, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Building on a successful mission to Southeast Asia where he officially opened Canada’s first-ever trade office for agriculture and seafood in the Indo-Pacific region, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, travelled to Boston, Massachusetts this week to attend Seafood Expo North America, the largest seafood trade exposition in North America. 

In Boston, Minister MacAulay was joined by his federal colleagues, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and representatives from a number of provincial governments including several premiers and provincial ministers of agriculture and fisheries.

During the expo, Minister MacAulay, along with Ministers Lebouthillier and Hutchings, opened the Canada Pavilion which featured Canadian businesses and promoted Canadian fish and seafood products. This year, the Pavilion was hosted by the Government of New Brunswick. 

Minister MacAulay took the opportunity to visit the exhibitors and connect with Canadian businesses to show support for fish and seafood harvesters and exporters. During the visit, the Minister highlighted new federal funding of over $2.8 million for 8 projects under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriMarketing program to help promote and expand markets for Canadian fish and seafood. 

As part of his visit, the Minister travelled to Quincy, Massachusetts to meet with representatives from the Bay State Milling Company, a 125-year old company with operations in the U.S. that recently expanded to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to discuss ways of enhancing ties and expanding business within Canada and to promote sustainable and innovative agriculture. The Bay State Milling’s Saskatoon facility produces approximately 65,000 metric tons of identity preserved, gluten-free oats annually, over 60% of which are exported to the U.S..

The connections made during Minister MacAulay’s visit will help strengthen trade ties between Canada and the United States, which will drive economic growth and deliver more opportunities for fish and seafood harvesters, as well as agriculture and agri-food producers on both sides of the border.