Agriculture
Carney’s nation-building plan forgets food
This article supplied by Troy Media.
Canada’s agri-food sector powers $90 billion in exports and one in nine jobs, yet it’s missing from the fed’s flagship infrastructure agenda
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “nation-building” strategy may boast big wins for energy and infrastructure, but it sidelines one of Canada’s greatest economic assets: food.
His first five flagship projects—the LNG terminal in Kitimat, a small modular nuclear reactor in Darlington, the $1-billion Contrecoeur container terminal east of Montreal and mineral developments in B.C. and Saskatchewan—send a message that Ottawa is ready to build. But for all their ambition, they overlook the sector that feeds the country, powers $90 billion in exports and supports one in nine jobs.
Canada is one of the world’s great breadbaskets—reliable, safe and absurdly productive. The agrifood sector isn’t just farms and tractors; it’s one of the most advanced, innovative ecosystems we’ve got. And yet, among Carney’s first round of “nation-building” moonshots, food didn’t even get a seat at the table.
Sure, the expanded port in Montreal will help grain and processed food shipments. And yes, stable nuclear power might one day shave energy bills for processors and greenhouse growers. But these are trickle-down perks—not the kind of direct investment the sector actually needs. Food deserves its own spotlight.
This oversight isn’t just symbolic—it exposes real pressure points that threaten the entire system. Take Western Canada’s beef-packing bottleneck, for example: a few mega-facilities dominate the sector, so when one gets gummed up by a strike or shutdown, it sends shockwaves through the entire supply chain. Farmers are left holding the bag—and consumers feel the hit. Expanding and decentralizing capacity would help, but that’s just scratching the surface.
If Carney wants to prove Canada can be a food power as much as an energy one, we need projects with the same heft and urgency as those just announced. To match the ambition of Carney’s energy and infrastructure plans, here are five food-sector nation-builders that would move the dial:
1. The Prairie Gateway Grain and Pulse Terminal—a rail-linked export hub in Saskatchewan or Manitoba—would get lentils, peas, canola and wheat to global
markets fast. Think Contrecoeur, but for the Prairies.
2. Protein Supercluster 2.0 would string together state-of-the-art processing facilities to transform raw commodities into premium plant proteins, canola oil and biofuels. A second-generation government-backed innovation corridor, it would help Canada move from raw exports to value-added, export-ready, job-creating production.
3. A National Plant and Animal Science Campus, inspired by Wageningen University in the Netherlands—a world leader in agricultural research—would centralize the kind of next-gen crop science, livestock genomics and climate-resilient breeding Canada will need to compete in the decades ahead. Call it moonshot science; we’ve been staring at the ground too long.
4. Northern Food Sovereignty Corridors, featuring investments in greenhouses, vertical farms and logistics, would reduce reliance on overpriced imports and bring fresh food, and economic independence, to northern and Indigenous communities. It would also move reconciliation from speech to action.
5. A Digital Food Traceability Network would use blockchain and AI to track food from seed to supper, slashing waste, boosting consumer confidence and giving our exports a transparency edge in an increasingly picky global market.
Carney’s five projects are a solid start. They prove Canada can think big. But a real strategy needs to feed people as well as power them. Agriculture can’t remain the forgotten cousin in economic planning.
The point isn’t to downplay the importance of energy or mining. Mines and reactors may fuel prosperity but it’s food—and the infrastructure, science and innovation behind it—that will secure it. Canada’s real strength lies not just under the ground but in the fields, labs and refrigerated supply chains that keep our plates full and our trading partners coming back for seconds.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Canadian professor and researcher in food distribution and policy. He is senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast. He is frequently cited in the media for his insights on food prices, agricultural trends, and the global food supply chain.
Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country.
Agriculture
The Fight to Save 398 Ostriches in British Columbia: A Test of Ethics, Science, and Policy
A looming cull raises questions about animal welfare, scientific research, and public trust
A quiet farm in British Columbia has suddenly become the center of a storm that touches on ethics, science, and government policy. Universal Ostrich Farms, a family-run operation with more than 30 years of history, is under order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to cull its entire flock of 398 ostriches.
The farm has appealed, but after a recent court decision upholding the order, the cull is scheduled to proceed in the coming days.
 |
The trigger: two positive tests
The CFIA’s decision stems from two ostriches that tested positive for avian influenza in December 2024. While the farm complied with required protocols, the rest of the flock (nearly 400 birds) remain healthy nine months later. Despite this, the CFIA continues to cite precautionary measures to justify mass culling.
 |
Farm representatives argue this is disproportionate and unnecessary. They point out that the flock shows no signs of illness and appears to demonstrate natural resistance to avian flu.
Beyond farming: a global research project
These ostriches are not only livestock. For more than a decade, they have been central to international medical research in partnership with scientists, including immunology experts at Kyoto Prefectural University in Japan.
Ostrich eggs contain powerful antibodies that have been studied for their ability to:
- Neutralize viruses such as avian flu and COVID-19
- Combat bacterial infections and inflammation
- Demonstrate potential in cancer research
- Offer safe, natural therapeutic applications
 |
This flock has attracted particular scientific interest because of its apparent resistance to avian flu, making the CFIA’s cull order especially controversial. Researchers warn that destroying these birds would erase decades of unique genetic data and undermine ongoing projects in natural medicine.
A clash of priorities
The cull order raises broader questions. Why destroy a flock with potential medical importance, particularly when the birds are healthy? Critics speculate that economic and policy pressures may play a role. For example, pharmaceutical companies recently received major government grants to develop avian flu vaccines, while natural alternatives like ostrich-derived antibodies may pose a disruptive challenge to established models of profit and control.
Equally concerning is the precedent being set: the government entering private property to destroy livestock based on suspicion rather than present disease. Farmers, researchers, and advocates warn that such actions erode public trust and threaten innovation in agriculture and medicine.
Public response and call to action
The situation has sparked outcry from citizens, scientists, and advocacy groups. Supporters of Universal Ostrich Farms have launched campaigns urging the government to pause the cull and consider the flock’s value to research, health, and biodiversity.
A dedicated website, SaveOurOstriches.com, provides updates and avenues for legal and financial support. Social media groups and livestreams from the farm owners have further amplified the story, turning it into a grassroots movement watched worldwide.
The fate of these 398 ostriches now rests at the intersection of law, science, and conscience. Whether they are destroyed or spared will send a signal about the balance Canada strikes between public safety, scientific discovery, and compassion.
At stake is more than the survival of a flock. It is a question of whether society values natural resilience and independent research, or whether these too can be culled in the name of safety.
Dr Mark Trozzi, is a veteran ER physician and trauma expert, who has taught at three top medical schools.
Since 2020, he’s opposed the criminal COVID agenda, fighting for human rights, justice, and the World Council for Health.
Subscribe to Dr Trozzi.
For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
By Conrad Eder
Ottawa’s EV subsidies have backfired. Western Canada’s canola farmers are the latest victims of misguided government industrial policy
Economic policy is more like gardening than engineering. You can shovel all the money you want into trying to grow coconuts in a Canadian winter, but you’ll achieve far better results—and feed many more people—by planting potatoes in the spring and letting nature run its course.
For Canada, that means embracing policies that create fertile ground for all businesses to compete, innovate, and serve consumers. Ottawa, unfortunately, prefers to play God with the weather. What began as economic tinkering has triggered a cascade of interventions now devastating Canada’s canola industry.
Rather than letting the market determine Canada’s strengths, federal and provincial politicians decided they knew better, wagering $52.5 billion to lure EV and battery manufacturers to Canada. Massive public subsidies were placed on a handful of firms and technologies.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer delivered a sobering assessment of this boondoggle: it could take decades for taxpayers to break even on these subsidies—and only if nothing goes sideways.
Well, you know what they say about best-laid plans.
After committing billions, Ottawa faced an awkward truth: Chinese manufacturers were eating our lunch, offering EVs at lower prices, thanks in part to their own subsidies. Instead of reversing course, Ottawa hit the panic button and slapped a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese EVs.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t about national security or consumer protection. It was about salvaging one of the largest industrial bets in Canadian history.
Yes, some sectors require targeted oversight to protect privacy and safety. EVs aren’t one of them. Their risks can be managed with targeted regulations and technical safeguards. But the tariffs do real damage by blocking affordable EVs and denying Canadians the right to judge for themselves.
Predictably, China didn’t take the tariffs lying down. In March, Beijing slapped 100 per cent duties on Canadian canola oil. In August, it hit canola seed with 75.8 per cent tariffs, effectively shutting out Canadian farmers from a $4.9-billion market.
Ninety-nine per cent of canola fields are in Western Canada. Canola is Canada’s top crop export, supporting tens of thousands of Prairie jobs and generating over $43 billion annually.
Another trade war, another lose-lose. Canadians pay more for EVs. Chinese consumers pay more for food.
And now, predictably, agricultural lobbyists are seeking Ottawa’s help. The government—having started the fire—has responded with $370 million in biofuel incentives and expanded financial support for canola producers. More subsidies. More distortion. Another Band-Aid for another self-inflicted wound.
Ironically, Canada’s farm sector already receives substantial government support. Now it’s receiving even more just to survive Ottawa’s protection of a separate subsidized industry. That’s the trouble with industrial policy: helping one sector often means hurting another. And taxpayers get the privilege of funding both.
There’s a better way forward: it doesn’t involve doubling down on mistakes. The solution is to stop the engineering and let the economy breathe. Lower taxes. Fewer regulations. Neutral infrastructure investment. These create the conditions for businesses to rise or fall on merit. That’s how innovation flourishes: through competition, not cabinet-level favouritism.
It’s not hard to follow the dominoes. EV subsidies triggered Chinese tariffs. Tariffs triggered canola retaliation. Canola retaliation now triggers demands for bailouts.
One attempt to pick winners has manufactured a long list of losers.
Had Ottawa stuck with free-trade principles, Canadians could’ve had more affordable EVs, taxpayers would’ve saved billions, and canola farmers would still have access to a vital export market.
Instead, we get a chain reaction of policy “fixes,” each one compensating for the damage done by the last—each one digging the hole deeper.
When governments try to engineer economic outcomes, citizens foot the bill. The real lesson? Governments are great at creating problems. Markets are better at solving them.
If Canada wants a prosperous economic future, it must stop betting the farm on political hunches and let competitive markets do the cultivating.
Conrad Eder is a policy analyst at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
Over $2B California Solar Plant Built To Last, Now Closing Over Inefficiency
Second Massive Population Study Finds COVID-19 “Vaccines” Increase Risk of 6 Major Cancers
Autism – what we know
Federal policies continue to block oil pipelines
-
Business2 days agoDominic Barton’s Shadow Over $1-Billion PRC Ferry Deal: An Investigative Op-Ed
-
Censorship Industrial Complex2 days agoCanada To Revive Online Censorship Targeting “Harmful” Content, “Hate” Speech, and Deepfakes
-
Alberta2 days agoAlberta refuses to take part in Canadian government’s gun buyback program
-
Alberta2 days agoOrthodox church burns to the ground in another suspected arson in Alberta
-
Alberta2 days agoAlberta puts pressure on the federal government’s euthanasia regime
-
Fraser Institute1 day agoAboriginal rights now more constitutionally powerful than any Charter right
-
Alberta1 day ago$150 a week from the Province to help families with students 12 and under if teachers go on strike next week
-
Business1 day agoNew PBO report underscores need for serious fiscal reform in Ottawa