The Canadian Produce Marketing Association Congratulates The Newly Elected Federal Government
October 21, 2015 | 2 min to read
The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) congratulates Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau and the Liberal team on winning a majority government and looks forward to working with them on issues impacting the produce industry in Canada.
“I would like to congratulate Justin Trudeau on the 2015 election win. Moving forward with a stable majority government is crucial to the produce industry and we are hopeful this will provide the Liberals with the opportunity to enact strong long term plans that support growth and competitiveness for our industry. The Liberal platform and support for produce industry issues will also improve key relationships with our major trading partner,” said Ron Lemaire, CPMA President.
The results are clear, with Canadians voting strongly for a change of government. The Liberal Party won 184 seats, the Conservative Party 99, the NDP 44, the Bloc Québécois 10, and the Green Party 1. You can see a map of the results or search by riding on the CBC website.
This new government will be taking decisions on a number of issues with important implications for the produce industry. During the campaign, the Liberal Party committed to creating a comparable mechanism in Canada to the United States’ Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). This would give important protections to Canadian produce sellers at home, while restoring Canada’s preferential access to PACA provisions, lost in October 2014. ‘”CPMA looks forward to working with the new government and our industry partners to ensure that this promise becomes a reality and resolves this long-standing need for our industry,” said Mr. Lemaire.
“CPMA will be urging the new government to implement a National Fruit and Vegetable Health Policy to increase produce consumption for the health of Canadians and the growth of our industry. Labour and Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) are another key area where CPMA will be encouraging the new government to follow through with their commitment to reforms to the TFW that recognize the unique labour needs that come with producing perishable products,” said Mike Furi, CPMA Chair.
During the campaign, CPMA sent questions on key industry issues to the three major parties and distributed their responses to our members. The responses from the Liberal Party can be found here and those of the NDP here (no response was received from the Conservative Party).
CPMA has already begun planning for engagement with the new government and members can expect to see more information in the coming months.
About the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA):
Based in Ottawa, Ontario, CPMA is a not-for-profit organization that represents companies that are active in the marketing of fresh fruits and fresh vegetables in Canada from farm gate to dinner plate. CPMA's vision is to enable and lead the produce industry by enhancing the market and facilitating trade of fresh fruits and vegetables for its members.
Source: Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA)