Momentum matters: Canada cannot afford to let up

"For the first time in a long time, it feels like Canadian agriculture is beginning to move in the right direction. Across the industry, we are seeing growing alignment around issues that farmers have been raising for years. Trade reliability. Regulatory modernization. Competitiveness. Market access. Productivity. These are no longer fringe conversations. They are becoming central priorities."

"That shift matters because agriculture has spent too much time managing preventable disadvantages instead of building on our strengths. Western Canadian farmers can compete with anyone in the world. We have the land, the talent, the innovation, and the entrepreneurial mindset. What has too often held us back is a system that became increasingly comfortable with delay, fragmentation, and complacency."

"Industry voices are rallying around the need to strengthen Canada's trade infrastructure and reduce labour disruptions that damage our reputation as a reliable supplier. Governments are beginning to acknowledge that regulatory systems must support competitiveness and innovation, not unintentionally suppress them. And with the upcoming CUSMA review approaching, there is growing recognition that Canada must proactively defend and strengthen its trade position before uncertainty becomes instability."

"None of these challenges are fully solved. Far from it. But momentum matters. Progress begins when industries stop accepting dysfunction as normal and start aligning around a better path forward. That is what we are beginning to see emerge across Canadian agriculture today. The risk now is losing focus."

Canadian agriculture is showing signs of moving in a better direction after years of preventable disadvantages. Growing alignment across the industry centers on trade reliability, regulatory modernization, competitiveness, market access, and productivity. Western Canadian farmers have the land, talent, innovation, and entrepreneurial mindset to compete globally, but have been held back by a system marked by delay, fragmentation, and complacency. Industry voices are calling for stronger trade infrastructure and fewer labor disruptions that harm Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier. Governments are beginning to recognize that regulatory systems should enable competitiveness and innovation. With the CUSMA review approaching, there is increased awareness that Canada must defend and strengthen its trade position proactively. Progress is not complete, but momentum is building.

Read at Realagriculture