The Manitoba government has officially signed a multilateral agreement with the Government of Canada to implement a new five-year agricultural policy called the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

“The Canadian Agricultural Partnership will help the agriculture and agri-food sector to continue to innovate, grow and prosper,” said Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay. “The Government of Canada is proud to support this partnership with the provincial and territorial governments, which will help create opportunities for our farmers, ranchers and processors, while providing good paying jobs for Canadians.”

The multilateral agreement is the first step needed to establish the Canadian Agricultural Partnership in Manitoba, ensuring farmers, agri-processors, researchers and other stakeholders can access related programs and funding. Governments are also currently negotiating a bilateral agreement to ensure Manitoba’s priorities, opportunities and issues are reflected in the partnership’s programs.

“I am pleased with our shared progress on implementing the Canadian Agricultural Partnership in Manitoba and signing the multilateral agreement is an important milestone,” said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler. “This framework will provide even greater opportunities for Manitoba’s ag sector. Our government’s goal is to ensure a seamless transition to the partnership’s programs when it comes into effect this spring.”

The agreement includes government commitments to continue business risk-management programs such as AgriInsurance, AgriStability and AgriInvest. In Manitoba, CAP will invest a total of $176 million in strategic programming focused on the sustainability and competitiveness of the agriculture and food sector.

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial investment that will come into effect on April 1, 2018. It focuses on six priority areas including:

  • science, research and innovation;
  • markets and trade;
  • environmental sustainability and climate change;
  • value-added agriculture and agri-food processing;
  • public trust; and
  • risk management.

In July 2017, federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers reached agreement in principle on the key elements of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $3-billion investment that will set a solid foundation for the future of Canada’s farmers and food processors, and continue to help them grow, innovate and prosper.