It was an honour to attend the swearing in ceremony and reception of Senator Mary Robinson held in Ottawa this week, alongside family and friends from PEI and across Canada. 

Senator Robinson will be a great voice and advocate for the agriculture sector, bringing firsthand farm experience, agriculture business and farm organization leadership in roles at the PEI Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Federation of Agriculture and World Farmers’ Organisation.

While in Ottawa, OFA President Drew Spoelstra had the opportunity to connect with MP Dave Epp of Chatham-Kent and Leamington, a rural riding in Southern Ontario with a strong presence of agriculture, agri-food and greenhouse sectors. We spoke about the grocery code of conduct, Bill C-234 and invasive species.

Spoelstra met with MP Kody Blois (Chair of the AGRI Standing Committee on Agriculture and AgriFood), Minister Lawrence MacAulay (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) as well as MP James Maloney (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada). Topics of discussion included Bill C-234, the Advance Payments Program (APP) and the need to retain the increased interest free limit of $350,000, as well as the importance of the Ontario Food Terminal – the largest wholesale fruit and vegetable distribution centre in Canada.

This trip to Ottawa overlapped with a reception hosted by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Spoelstra, along with OFA General Manager Cathy Lennon, connected with various members of both Dairy Farmers of Ontario and Canada, and had productive conversations about opportunities for leadership development for future farm leaders as well as the significant need for increased dairy processing capacity across the country.

Before the end of this visit, the opportunity presented itself to have in-depth discussions with Senator Rob Black about the Senate Soil Health study, of which he expects to see hearings wrapped up this month and a final report later this Spring.