Trudeau’s Gatekeepers are Trampling our Agriculture Exhibitions to Death

Ottawa, ON – Conservative Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Agri-food, John Barlow, and Shadow Minister for Red Tape Reduction, Scot Davidson released the following statement in response to proposed CFIA Regulations Amending the Health of Animals Regulations surrounding Identification and Traceability:

Once again, Trudeau’s Liberal government are showing their disdain for our agriculture sector by implementing unnecessary red tape that will hurt our already struggling agricultural societies, fairs and exhibitions.

Liberal gatekeepers are now coming after Canada’s small-town fairs, agricultural societies, and 4-H shows. These beloved events are the highlight of the summer and autumn seasons for many people and a significant economic driver in rural communities. It is outrageous that the Liberal government is trying to cancel these fairs by forcing more red tape on hard-working volunteers, especially during a Canada-wide volunteer shortage.

Agricultural exhibitions and fairs not only entertain families and provide local revenue, but they educate Canadians on farming, food production and animal care. They often barely have enough staff to run their shows and most of the people involved are volunteers. Not only does this attack hurt local economies and threaten the future of not-for-profits, but it will limit opportunities to educate Canadians and people from around the world about Canada’s world-class and innovative agriculture sector.

Our world-class farmers and ranchers are dedicated to being socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable. They already set the bar high to ensure a safe food supply and protect it from diseases. This is just another example of Trudeau’s Ottawa-knows best approach that will add major costs without any benefit to our already very high safety standards.

We believe in the strength and prosperity of our safe and responsible agriculture and agri-food industries in Canada. Common sense Conservatives will remove the government gatekeepers and burdensome regulations so our famers and producers can do what they do best to proudly feed Canada and the world.