Question Period Note: AGRICULTURAL LABOUR STRATEGY

Q1 – When do you anticipate the Strategy will officially be launched? Q2 – Will you continue to engage with provinces and territories and industry following the launch of the Strategy?

R.1 - As consultations on the Strategy have concluded, a variety of options are being explored. A key component of the Strategy will be building upon government actions that are already underway and have positive impacts for the sector. This means we are not waiting for the official launch of the strategy before taking needed action.

Key to this are the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program that are in progress and the announcement of the Recognized Employer Pilot earlier this year. Since Budget 2022, the Government has announced over $200 million in new funding to help reform the Temporary Foreign Worker program.

Additionally, the Government has supported workforce initiatives for the agricultural sector through Employment and Social Development Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, including $12 million to the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council to address human resource shortages in Canada’s agriculture sector and $7.7 million to Food Processing Skills Canada to offer training programs to 1,250 Canadians in the food and beverage processing sector. R.2 - Engagement with Provinces/Territories and industry remains ongoing to ensure the Strategy remains responsive to the changing needs of the sector and reflective of the regional differences across the country. Following the launch of the Strategy, this continued engagement will help determine if any additional action is required.

Mandate Letter Commitment in December 2021 to develop, in partnership with provinces and territories, employers, unions and workers, a sector-specific Agricultural Labour Strategy to address persistent and chronic labour shortages in farming and food processing in the short and long term. Public online consultations began in summer 2022 and closed in spring 2023. PTs were consulted at various FPT meetings, including Ministerials held throughout 2022 and 2023 and several other in-person, targeted consultations were conducted with key industry stakeholders including unions and underrepresented groups. A “What We Heard Report” summarizing the results of the consultations was released in May 2023.

The Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council (CAHRC), Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and Food and Beverage Canada (FBC) are leading the work on the development of the National Workforce Strategic Plan (NWSP). The NWSP represents an industry-led effort to address labour and skills shortages in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector. AAFC has worked closely with CAHRC, CFA and FBC to ensure the NWSP and the federal government’s Agricultural Labour Strategy are developed complementarily. A December 2022 interim report on the NWSP highlighted the importance of increasing positive perceptions of the sector, improving workplace culture, the key role of foreign workers, the need to increase skills training, and the benefits of adopting automation and technology. Any recommendations stemming from the final NWSP will be used to inform the options being considered for the Agricultural Labour Strategy.

Several government actions underway will have positive impacts on the sector, including the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and immigration reform, the federal housing strategy, increasing access to broadband, ESDC’s Sectoral Workforce Development Program, Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan, improving rural vitality and several initiatives underway by PTs. Additionally, some of the $2.5B in cost-shared funding made available through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership can be used for labour and skills initiatives.

The National Agricultural Labour Strategy is an opportunity to build upon government actions and secure a sustainable workforce.

Extensive consultations were conducted to ensure the Strategy is responsive to the needs of the sector, and a What We Heard Report was released this past May.

As the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council is working on an industry-led strategy, we are working closely with them to ensure the Government’s Strategy complements their efforts.

Provinces and territories are also taking action to address labour shortages, with various initiatives underway. Some of the $2.5 billion in cost-shared funding made available through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership can be used for labour and skills initiatives.