The Rural Voice, 2019-09, Page 65our rural communities.”
The government has promised
compensation to the supply
management sectors for the loss of
market share. Dairy was just
announced. Poultry is taking longer.
“It is complex,” said Bibeau. “It is
taking longer to find solutions to the
different mechanisms being asked for
by each sector. We are working right
now on financial technicalities.”
Another issue discussed in the
Wingham Tim Hortons was the
introduction of a new food policy for
Canada.
Bibeau said Canadians have been
asking for this policy and that the key
word when developing a food policy
is “access.”
The government’s vision is to
provide access to good food. As part
of that strategy, the government will
be incorporating the Child Tax
Benefit, providing low-income
families with the revenue to access
the good food they need.
“Through this change (to the
Child Tax Benefit) we have raised
3,000 children out of poverty,” said
Bibeau.
Moving forward, rural
communities can look forward to
funds through the Local Food
Infrastructure Fund. Between August
15 and November 1, organizations
that facilitate access to food in their
communities can apply for funding.
This could include food banks,
farmers markets or non-
governmental organizations (NGO).
Food fraud, including
mislabelling, is also a huge issue.
Bibeau referenced the honey issue,
where it was discovered 12,800
kilograms of imported honey was
diffused with oils. The new food
policy will address such issues and is
making investments in the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to
hire more inspectors to guard the
import of foods into Canada.
Bibeau was in southwestern
Ontario for two days and capped her
tour with a meet-and-greet at the
Brussels Four Winds Barn alongside
Huron-Bruce Liberal Party of Canada
candidate, Allan Thompson, who is
campaigning for a seat in the next
federal election. ◊
News
September 2019 61
The beef industry has a number of significant issues to deal with including
trade (or lack therof) to China, and new transportation regulations. Steve Eby
of Eby farms said he was impressed by the receptiveness of Canada’s
Minister of Agriculture, Marie-Claude Bibeau. ~Photos Submitted
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