Victoria/Fraser Valley – Minister of Agriculture Norm Letnick made the following statement en route to the federal-provincial-territorial agriculture ministers meetings that begin on July 15 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island:
“Growing B.C.’s agrifoods sector takes teamwork and co-operation, something I’ve been proud to help develop with B.C. farmers and food producers, my provincial colleagues and the Government of Canada.
“My role at the federal-provincial-territorial agriculture ministers’ meetings will be to ensure the voices of B.C. producers are heard in Ottawa and around Canada, and that the opinions of B.C.’s farmers are at the table too.
“I will continue the efforts of the B.C. government to break down internal barriers to Canadian trade, and urge other provinces to follow the leadership of B.C., Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan in facilitating the inter-provincial trade of wine.
“I will be clear that the B.C. government appreciates the hard work of dairy, poultry and egg producers and the trusted, consistent supply of the safe and high-quality food provided to British Columbians, and reiterate our government’s support of maintaining supply management.
“I will also bring the voice of B.C.’s seafood producers to the table to work with my colleagues to develop further opportunities for the sector to participate in future federal-provincial funded programs.
“We’ve seen B.C.’s agrifoods sector grow by over $1 billion in a few years, reaching $11.7 billion annually. My job is to make sure the sector continues to grow, and by continuing to work with B.C. agrifood producers, and partnering with the Government of Canada, and provincial leaders, I’m going to get that job done.”
