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Congratulations Minister Bibeau on continuing your role as the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food.

Here in the Northwest Territories, agriculture looks a bit different than it does down South.  Our industry is challenged by extreme and diverse weather conditions, limited soil quality and the remoteness of our communities. Yet despite these challenges, we maintain a small, but dedicated network of growers, passionate about the territory’s agriculture industry and its potential.  

These growers provide easily accessible food to some of our residents, supporting their health and well-being while also helping to reduce GHG emissions since locally produced food is not flown or trucked in from outside the territory.

There is strong support emerging across the NWT for increased local food production, which is no surprise as we have one of the highest rates of household food insecurity in Canada, with the fragility of our food supply chain amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The flexibility of the current Canadian Agricultural Partnership program helps address the uniqueness of the NWT’s agricultural needs, and the next Policy Framework must maintain this flexibility and recognize the industry differences across Canada when administering this program.

The Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon will continue to collaborate with one another, exploring innovative approaches to increase local food production, particularly in our remote communities. We will invite the appropriate federal government departments to work with us to help bring out the full potential of Canada’s Northern agriculture industry and the residents who benefit from it.