My name is Cathy Lennon and I’m the General Manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
Last week, we provided an email and video update from members of our Executive about tariffs and trade and what we are up to.
I’m following up today to give you an update from this week and what’s been happening.
Joint message to government about agriculture’s shared priorities
Last week, we mentioned working closely with agricultural and commodity group leaders to develop a joint message to governments about our shared priorities and considerations as it relates to tariff and trade relationships. That message has been finalized and shared with our federal minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Kody Blois and Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Trevor Jones.
In all, 23 farm, commodity and stakeholder organizations signed on to the letter, speaking up about this that matter most to our members:
- The need for targeted support programs for sectors most impact by tariffs or loss of market access
- Investing in agriculture’s productive capacity, domestic processing, packaging and storage
- Supporting buy local campaigns and expanding export markets
- Making sure that agriculture is at the table, reviewing and addressing interprovincial trade barriers
- Supporting homegrown solutions and ensuring a sustainable, resilient supply management food system.
OFA President Drew Spoelstra has had an opportunity to discuss the letter with both the federal and provincial Ministers of Agriculture and is pressing to convene a roundtable of farm leaders to discuss further.
A copy of the letter can be found here.
OFA Policy Advisory Council meeting on interprovincial trade
Also shared in the update last week was an OFA Policy Advisory Council meeting specifically focused on interprovincial trade. It was held this week with record attendance from both grassroots members from across Ontario and commodity organization members.
We heard from three experts in interprovincial trade: Al Mussell, an economist with Agri-Food Economic Systems Inc; Brock Dickenson, Assistant Director of the Economic Development Program and Adjunct Professor with the University of Waterloo; and Dan Kelly, President and CEO of Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
All three spoke to the greater opportunity and urgency around investigating and eliminating interprovincial trade barriers but doing so with speed not haste to avoid unintended consequences. Members shared personal and commodity-specific examples where interprovincial trade posed barriers to business success, and also areas where those barriers may provide protection to commodity markets.
This week’s tariff announcements from the United States
While the news this week from the White House provided the agriculture sector with some relief in that no new tariffswere announced, our Ontario neighbours, friends and colleagues in the auto, steel and aluminum sectors were not so lucky. This will have an impact on our communities and our province.
Uncertainty and instability, or lack of confidence of what the days or weeks ahead could bring still lie heavy on the minds of all of us at the OFA. Nobody is exempt from the impacts of this crisis, and the effect it can have on mental health should not be ignored.
If you need help, agriculture-specific mental health and wellness support is available for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Farmer Wellness Initiative simply by calling 1-866-267-6255.
Current state of tariffs
Right now, U.S. tariffs are in place on Canadian steel and aluminum, as well as exports not covered under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Free Trade Agreement and new automotive tariffs have gone into effect this week.
Actions the OFA is taking
Industry-wide collaboration
Our team continues to work towards a Team Canada approach, working collaboratively across our entire industry to support you and represent your best interests.
Ensuring the federal government hears what agriculture needs
We continue to take part in twice weekly calls on tariffs and trade led by the federal government so that we can obtain information about what is happening at the government level and provide our feedback on national actions and what our industry needs. Essentially, we’re there to make sure agriculture’s voice is heard.
Helping consumers show their support
We’re continuing our public outreach and focusing on promoting local food and buy local programs and raising awareness of Ontario and Canadian labels. Over 75,000 Ontario consumers receive regular updates about local food and farming through our Home Grown campaign.
This week we approved a new reel/short video that we will be putting out through our Instagram and other social channels, promoting “Buy Local” and using the voices and images of our OFA members producing a wide variety of products.
Getting agriculture’s message out through the media
Ontario agriculture is on the minds of Ontarians, and we continue to be called upon to participate in dozens of media interviews with TV, radio, online and print outlets from across the province.
It’s great to see media interest in how this issue affects farmers, and we’re glad they give us the opportunity to shine a spotlight on agriculture, our vulnerability to trade disruption and the importance of agriculture to our food sovereignty and food security. A shout out to our members across this province who have helped carry this message too.
Here are two examples from this week:
Member engagement
In coming weeks, many of our local and regional federations of agriculture are hosting All Candidate Meetings in your communities. This is an opportunity for you to get out, share your concerns with others, learn from each other, and ensure the agriculture voice is heard by candidates of all parties. You can find more information about the all candidate event in your area here: https://ofa.on.ca/events
OFA is here to support your needs
What we really want to you to know is this: we’re very actively involved in this issue on many fronts, and we care about how it impacts not just our broader agriculture sector but also each and every one of you.
There are no quick or easy answers, but we are stronger by working together.
More information on this issue is available on our website, as well as a page that outlines the supports and programs.
If you have questions for us on tariffs and trade, you can reach us at a special email address for messages related to this issue: tariffs@ofa.on.ca and we’ll do our best to answer them.
Sincerely,
Cathy Lennon,
General Manager