Agriculture needs more than a voice—it needs a long-term vision
Canada's next agricultural policy framework arrives at a defining moment. Agriculture is no longer simply about producing food. It is increasingly central to Canada's economic security, food security, and geopolitical resilience. In a world of shifting trade relationships, climate uncertainty, and growing demand for trusted suppliers, the question is no longer whether agriculture matters. It is whether Canada is preparing the sector for the next 20 years rather than the next funding cycle.
That starts with recognizing agriculture as strategic infrastructure.
When Canadians think about critical infrastructure, they typically think of highways, ports, or electricity grids. Agriculture deserves to be viewed through the same lens. Food production depends on an interconnected system of transportation networks, processing facilities, water management, animal health, research, digital infrastructure, and international trade. Weakness in any one of these areas affects every producer, processor, and exporter.
Water offers perhaps the clearest example of why this broader perspective matters.
Around the world, reliable water supplies are becoming one of the defining constraints on agricultural production. While Canada is fortunate to possess significant freshwater resources, abundance alone is not a competitive advantage. Strategic management is.
That means investing in irrigation where appropriate, improving watershed management, strengthening drought preparedness, and planning for increasingly variable weather patterns. The countries that succeed over the coming decades will not necessarily be those with the most water, but those that manage it most effectively. Canada has an opportunity to lead if it treats water infrastructure with the same long-term discipline applied to transportation or energy systems.
The same principle applies to traceability.
For many consumers, traceability is associated with food safety. In reality, it has become much more than that. Increasingly, international customers expect proof of where food comes from, how it was produced, and how quickly risks can be identified and managed. Trust has become a competitive advantage.
Investments in modern, interoperable traceability systems should therefore be viewed as investments in market access. They strengthen disease response, protect export relationships, reinforce Canada's reputation for high production standards, and provide confidence in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Perhaps no issue deserves greater attention than generational succession.
Canada is entering one of the largest transfers of agricultural assets in its history. Over the next decade, thousands of farms will change hands. The decisions made during those transitions will determine not only who owns the land, but also how one of Canada's most valuable productive assets contributes to the country's long-term agricultural capacity.
Too often, succession is viewed primarily through the lens of taxation or estate planning. Those issues matter, but they overlook a broader policy question: how can succession policy encourage land uses that strengthen Canada's agricultural system?
Today's tax rules tend to draw a sharp distinction between agricultural and non-agricultural uses. In reality, a resilient food system depends on much more than fields and livestock. Processing facilities, transportation corridors, storage, irrigation infrastructure, distribution hubs, and other agricultural support assets are all essential to moving Canadian products from farm to market. As the next policy framework is developed, governments should consider whether succession and tax policy can better recognize investments and land uses that strengthen the agricultural value chain, even when they extend beyond primary production.
Succession policy should therefore be viewed not only as a tool for transferring ownership, but also as a way of shaping the agricultural landscape Canada wants to build. Tax incentives and transition policies should reward decisions that preserve productive capacity, whether through continued farming or through investments that strengthen the broader agricultural ecosystem on which Canadian producers depend.
Finally, the next policy framework should rethink how success is measured.
Rather than asking how many programs were delivered or how much funding was allocated, governments should ask whether Canada's agricultural system is becoming stronger. Has domestic processing capacity expanded? Are producers better protected against drought and animal disease? Are farm transitions succeeding? Has traceability improved this country's access to premium export markets? Is our food system more resilient than it was five years ago?
Those are the outcomes that matter.
Canada already possesses many of the ingredients needed to become one of the world's most trusted and competitive agricultural nations. We have abundant natural resources, innovative producers, world-class researchers, and an international reputation for quality. The challenge is ensuring public policy is organized around preserving and strengthening those advantages.
John Simpson is the founder of The Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy at the University of Calgary School of Veterinary Medicine.
The Hill Times