The committee met to study business risk management (BRM) programs in anticipation of the next federal-provincial-territorial agricultural policy framework. Witnesses included representatives from the Canadian Canola Growers Association, Canadian Seed Growers' Association, Western Grain Elevator Association, Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères, Grain Growers of Canada, and Canadian Forage and Grassland Association.
Andre Harpe and Dustin Pike of the Canadian Canola Growers Association described a volatile operating environment where geopolitical shocks, such as the Middle East conflict raising fertilizer costs by 50%, now compound traditional weather and price risks. They called for AgriInsurance to remain the cornerstone of BRM, while arguing AgriStability must be modernized due to its low 30% participation rate, lack of timeliness, and failure to reflect farmer margins. They recommended ending cross-compliance requirements, which they said erode program effectiveness, and ensuring BRM funding is not cut to pay for other priorities.
Douglas Miller of the Canadian Seed Growers' Association framed seed certification as a preventative risk management tool, noting many farmers plant varieties that are 10 to 20 years old, costing hundreds of millions in lost revenue annually. He recommended protecting public plant breeding investment, using BRM programs to incentivize adoption of newer genetics, and completing CFIA seed regulatory modernization. He strongly criticized the closure of AAFC research stations, warning of lost germplasm, regional testing capacity, and technician expertise that cannot be recovered, and he noted only Quebec currently rewards certified seed use through AgriInsurance.
Tyler Bjornson of the Western Grain Elevator Association said grain exporters face political trade barriers, such as China's canola investigation, with no tools to manage the risk, citing $60 million in direct contractual losses in 2025. He proposed a refundable tax credit to offset verifiable costs from foreign political trade barriers, plus subsidized contract default insurance, arguing tax-based solutions offer predictability. He also called for reducing regulatory red tape, including eliminating duplicate grain inspection and lengthening licence periods, and warned that railway and port work stoppages cost roughly $250 million per week.
Vincent Audet of the Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères emphasized that forage crops cover half of Quebec's farmland and underpin the livestock sector, yet BRM programs inadequately cover risks from establishment through harvest. He called for individual rather than regional yield measurement, support for surplus hay production to build strategic reserves, and rapid response plans to move forage between regions during shortages. He also stressed that the closure of the Quebec Research and Development Centre, including the loss of researchers developing higher-yield varieties, will increase farm risk and strain BRM programs.
Bruce Burrows and Kate Sauser of the Grain Growers of Canada said grain farmers face losses of one to two dollars per bushel from geopolitical trade disruptions, which existing BRM programs were not designed to handle. They urged maintaining AgriInsurance's cost-sharing model, improving AgriStability's responsiveness to boost participation, and ensuring programs reflect regional and commodity differences. They opposed linking AgriInvest to environmental cross-compliance, arguing grain farmers already lead in stewardship practices, and suggested BRM should be viewed as an economic strategy for the $45-billion export sector.
Cedric MacLeod of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association said forage and livestock producers carry higher production risk than annual crop farmers but have fewer insurance tools, creating incentives to convert perennial grasslands to annual cropping. He recommended developing a comprehensive risk management suite for forage, creating a forage production centre of excellence, and investing in knowledge translation programs. He supported margin-based insurance and better yield tracking through technology like satellite imagery, and he noted mixed operations often self-insure, making it hard to insure forage separately from cattle.
The committee also heard questions on Bill C-273, with canola representatives expressing support for the private member's bill. Procedural matters were minimal, with members agreeing to receive written recommendations from witnesses on AgriStability reform, tax credit proposals, and other program details.
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