Scott Ross

National Food Security Strategy - Agriculture should be treated as a national priority, given its central role in food security, economic growth, and global stability. A national food security strategy should put farmers and food production at its core by improving access to capital, protecting farmland, stabilizing input supplies, accelerating innovation through more efficient regulation, expanding value-added processing, addressing labour shortages, and modernizing transportation and supply chain infrastructure through a whole-of-government approach. Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) – with respect to the upcoming 2026 review of Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement, the priority for Canadian agriculture is a full 16-year renewal without reopening existing provisions, while preserving science-based rules, particularly SPS, biotechnology, and technical barrier provisions, strong dispute settlement, and predictable market access that support farmers, trade, and food security. Dedicated Agriculture and Agri-Food Infrastructure Funding Stream - to establish a dedicated agriculture and agri-food infrastructure stream within federal programming to improve access, coordination, and impact of national infrastructure projects for the agricultural sector. A persistent gap exists for mid-scale, regionally specific projects that fall between innovation programming and large-scale infrastructure programming. Key needs for agriculture include logistics corridors, processing and storage capacity, water and irrigation systems, energy infrastructure, and digital connectivity. Bill C-273, An Act to amend the Feeds Act, the Fertilizers Act, the Seeds Act, the Pest Control Products Act and the Food and Drugs Act - with respect to the need to accelerate access to new tools and technologies by leveraging trusted jurisdictions' risk and science-based decisions to streamline approval timelines and use use mechanisms such as conditional approvals to bring safe, innovative products to market faster for the agricultural sector. Plant and Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Capacity - Calling on the Government of Canada to increase investment in prevention, surveillance, and response capacity for major plant and animal disease threats, including financial preparedness, international zoning agreements, coordinated federal-provincial-industry response plans, and updated regulatory frameworks, which would help producers maintain export market access, and ensure the resilience of Canada's food system. Expanded Eligibility for Farm Rollover Provisions - expanding farm rollover provisions to a broader range of family members, including nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and stepchildren, to reduce tax barriers to intergenerational farm transfers and sustain investment in the sector as Canada's farm population continues to age, while recognizing the multi-family nature of many farming operations in Canada Critical Farm Input Strategy - to establish a coordinated approach to ensuring Canadian farmers have reliable and timely access to essential inputs such as fertilizer, crop protection products, energy, and veterinary tools that are fundamental to food production, yet availability is increasingly vulnerable to supply chain volatility, geopolitical instability, and regulatory barriers. Tariffs on Critical Farm Inputs: Ensure critical farm inputs are not subject to any potential future countermeasures imposed by the Government of Canada in response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. These products include, but are not limited to, certain fertilizer products, farm equipment and machinery, seed (including low erucic acid rape or colza seeds) as well as feed ingredients and veterinary products. Labour Disruptions: Launch consultations with industry representatives and implicated stakeholders to explore options to address the root causes of labour disruptions. Modernize labour laws to establish a clear, transparent, and expedited process for resolving