Question Period Note: THE CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY’S FUNDING FROM SPRING ECONOMIC UPDATE 2026

Q1 – What does this funding support?
Q2 – How does this investment support Government of Canada priorities?
Q3 - Why are legislative changes being proposed to amend the mandate of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency?
Q4 - How will the government ensure that the $18.3 million invested will be used to protect Canada’s pork sector from a potential African Swine Fever outbreak?
Q5 - How will the renewal of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy control program help support the maintenance of Canada’s negligible risk status?
Q6 - How will the renewal of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program improve safe shellfish harvesting?
Q7 - How will the $83.7 million investment strengthen Canada’s capacity to rapidly respond to animal and zoonotic disease threats?
Q8 - How will the $75 million investment help maintain critical food safety activities and protect Canadians from food-related health risks?
Q9 - How will the $18 million support science, testing, and operational capacity to manage potato wart in Prince Edward Island and across Canada?

R1 - The funding announced in the Spring Economic Update supports the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s core operational activities.

This includes funding to continue safeguarding the Canadian food supply, strengthening Canada’s ability to respond quickly to animal and plant disease outbreaks, and maintaining market access for Canadian producers.

With this funding, Canada will continue to uphold high standards for food, plant, and animal health, while supporting the stability and competitiveness of our agricultural sector.
R2 - These initiatives are aligned with key elements of the Government of Canada’s priorities including strengthening collaboration with reliable trading partners by maintaining Canada’s strong international reputation as having one of the best food safety systems in the world.

The investments will also support the Government’s commitment to developing a National Food Security Strategy by reinforcing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s commitment to considering economic issues and food security when carrying out its mandate, without compromising health and safety.
R3 - The amendments to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act deliver on the Spring Economic Update 2026 and stakeholder feedback to include consideration of food security and the cost of food as part of the mandate of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

These amendments establish an explicit mandate section, confirming the Canadian Food Inspection Agency protects food safety, animal plant and human health, and the environment, while carrying out a range of activities, including considering economic and food security.

The amendments also introduce a new authority, empowering the Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the appropriate Minister, to grant a time-limited exemption from certain requirements when needed to address serious risks to domestic economic or food security and where they do not pose unreasonable risks to food safety, animal, plant and human health, or the environment.

Collectively, these amendments will ensure Canadians continue to have access to safe, reliable food with robust health and safety protections, while strengthening consideration of food security affordability.
R4 - The $18.3M investment helps Canada stay prepared for the growing threat of African Swine Fever.

It supports targeted actions, including enhanced border surveillance, increased awareness campaigns and outreach to prevent the entry of the virus, and emergency response planning.

These measures ensure that Canada is both preventing an outbreak and prepared to respond quickly and effectively should one occur.
R5 - The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) establishes international standards for maintaining official bovine spongiform encephalopathy risk status.
Renewing Canada’s bovine spongiform encephalopathy control program allows the country to continue to meet these standards and keep its negligible bovine spongiform encephalopathy risk status. This includes risk-based surveillance, removal and disposal of specified risk materials (the tissues that are at higher risk of containing the infectious prion if the animal were to be infected) from the food and feed chains, cattle identification and traceability, and enforcement of import requirements to prevent the introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy into Canada.
Maintaining negligible risk status protects human and animal health. It also preserves critical access to international markets and helps Canada open new markets to beef and cattle products.
R6 - The Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program assists Indigenous communities to safely access shellfish harvest for food, social, and ceremonial purposes.

The funding supports Indigenous food security and access, enhances knowledge and skills to safely harvest shellfish, as well as supports shellfish harvest sites in traditional and remote harvest areas.
R7 - This investment strengthens Canada’s capacity to respond quickly to animal and zoonotic disease threats. It improves early detection, expands surveillance and laboratory testing, and ensures the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has the resources needed to act quickly.

It also supports the National Emergency Operations Centre, which leads emergency response by coordinating investigations, containment measures, and timely action.
R8 - The investment enables the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to keep up with risks to Canada’s food supply.

It improves the Agency’s ability to identify and manage new and emerging food safety risks. It also supports offshore preventive activities, such as audits and verifications in other countries to assess conditions and address risks before imported food enters Canada.

It provides direct compliance advice and support to food businesses through understanding industry and consumer information needs and conducting stakeholder outreach to strengthen compliance.
R9 - The funding enables the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to continue to manage potato wart in Prince Edward Island and prevent it from spreading.

It supports surveillance activities such as annual surveys and soil sampling. These efforts show trading partners that Canada implements effective pest control measures.
This funding also supports the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s capacity to implement the National Potato Wart Response Plan, including regularly reviewing and updating the program to address gaps and reflect new scientific findings, and engaging with key stakeholders.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) received funding decisions to renew funding for six initiatives that support core operational business. Renewal of these initiatives will ensure Canada’s continued market access and create opportunities for growth into new markets by safeguarding its food, animal and plant resources.

• Extending Support for African Swine Fever Preparedness and Disease Prevention: $18.3 million over three years to support efforts to monitor, prevent and prepare for a potential ASF outbreak in Canada.

• Extending Support for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Prevention (BSE): $67 million over three years to maintain the BSE control program and support maintenance of Canada’s World Organisation for Animal Health negligible risk status.

• Extending Support for the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program: $17.4 million over three years to engage with and support Indigenous communities to safely harvest shellfish for food, social, and ceremonial (FSC) purposes.

• Extending Support for the Emergency Response Fund: $83.7 million over three years to maintain measures to protect human and animal health from ongoing and emergent disease outbreaks including for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), Multinucleate Sphere Unknown (MSX), Bovine Tuberculosis, and Dermo.

• Extending Support for Keeping Food Safe: $75 million over five years to maintain funding for key food safety activities.

• Extending Support for Potato Wart Prevention: $18 million over three years to maintain CFIA’s science, testing, and operational capacity to manage potato wart in PEI specifically, and Canada overall, and to enable trade continuity.

• Six Canadian Food Inspection Agency initiatives will be renewed, with total annual funding of approximately $83M per year.
• These initiatives are focused on safeguarding the Canadian food supply, monitoring and responding rapidly to federally reportable animal and plant diseases, and maintaining access to international markets for Canadian producers.
• The Spring Economic Update also signaled legislative changes to reinforce consideration of food security and cost of food as part of the mandate of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.• These initiatives help maintain Canada’s high standards for food, plant and animal production systems, while supporting trade.