Agriculture and Agri-Food

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food met on May 26, 2026, to continue its study of business risk management (BRM) programs in Canada's agriculture sector. Appearing as witnesses were Marvin Slingerland and Akaljot Singh Gill from MNP LLP, Sarah Delisle from the Conseil pour le développement de l'agriculture du Québec, and Ben LeFort from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

Marvin Slingerland and Akaljot Singh Gill of MNP LLP stated that the core architecture of Canada's BRM programs, particularly the margin-based AgriStability program, is sound and should remain central, but the system has not kept pace with modern agriculture. They recommended modernizing program delivery to accelerate payments, strengthening transparency so producers understand program rules, ensuring multi-year policy stability, and expanding financial literacy supports. They disagreed with the concept of cross-compliance, arguing it adds complication to enrolment, and noted that AgriStability is the best program to react to widespread perils like trade issues, avian influenza, floods, and drought, unlike reinsurance programs that have sometimes disappeared after a year due to cost.

Sarah Delisle of the Conseil pour le développement de l'agriculture du Québec described her organization's work on climate change mitigation, including the on-farm climate plan tool that helps producers analyze risks and prioritize adaptation measures. She observed that producers are more concerned with adaptation to climate change than with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and that key facilitators include access to agronomic support, knowledge transfer networks, collective projects, and financial assistance. She noted that programs are often rigid and not adapted to new realities like changing planting dates, and called for continued research and applied on-farm trials, warning that without follow-up to initiatives like living labs, Canada will miss opportunities to be proactive.

Ben LeFort of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture argued that the risks Canadian farmers face have increased dramatically due to climate change, trade policy uncertainty, and geopolitical shocks, requiring new investments in BRM programs. He advocated restoring the AgriStability payment trigger to 85% of historical reference margins, noting that the current 70% trigger has turned the program from a stabilization tool into a disaster-level program, driving down participation. He also called for permanently increasing the interest-free portion of the advance payments program to $350,000, making AgriInvest withdrawals tax-free to remove barriers to proactive investment, and adopting a whole-of-government approach that recognizes agri-food as a core strategic industry. He disagreed with cross-compliance measures, calling them unnecessary red tape, and supported amending AgriStability to recognize diversified farm operations by treating each commodity separately for payment purposes.

During questioning, Dave Epp raised the concept of reinsurance as a potential tool to address increased volatility and costs. Ben LeFort said OFA members are open to additional tools but maintained that further investments in core programs like AgriStability are critical. Marvin Slingerland noted that AgriStability provides a long-term solution for producers with stability, unlike reinsurance programs that have sometimes disappeared after a year. On diversification, Ben LeFort supported amending AgriStability to allow separate payments for each commodity, and Marvin Slingerland agreed that simplification is needed but noted that basic information requirements would likely remain. On equity, both MNP and OFA agreed the programs are equitable across farm sizes, though Ben LeFort noted that complexity can disadvantage smaller farms that cannot afford advisers. No procedural debate, motions, or votes occurred during this meeting.