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December 10, 2021 – Abbotsford, BC – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, travelled to British Columbia to meet with B.C. farmers and hear how the recent extreme flooding and landslide events in the province have impacted farm operations, families and livelihoods.
Minister Bibeau toured flood-affected areas of B.C.’s Fraser Valley with British Columbia’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Lana Popham. Ministers Bibeau and Popham visited affected farms, including dairy and poultry farms and a winery, where they saw firsthand the widespread impacts of the extreme flooding and landslides on the agriculture sector. 
Minister Bibeau also spoke with local farmers. She heard how these events devastated many BC farms and she also heard stories of courage and resilience and how farm families worked together in the face of adversity.
Governments continue to work together and engage with the sector, and Indigenous leaders to understand the full impact of the floods and landslides, in order to provide the necessary support to help recover and plan for the future. 
The governments of Canada and B.C. continue to stand with farmers and communities who are feeling the impacts of extreme weather conditions. Last week, the federal and provincial governments held an industry roundtable with B.C. agriculture representatives to discuss both immediate and long-term support for the agriculture and agri-food industry, including a recent  provincial request to launch a joint assessment under the AgriRecovery Framework.
Federal and provincial officials are working with the utmost urgency to complete the joint assessment and help producers with their extraordinary costs. Outreach is already underway to specific provincial commodity groups to determine these costs. Programming under AgriRecovery will roll out as soon as those assessments and the program design are completed.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the Premier of British Columbia, John Horgan, also recently announced a committee of federal and provincial ministers who will work together and with Indigenous leadership to guide immediate and ongoing support to British Columbia families, businesses, farmers and communities affected by the extreme weather events.
Minister Bibeau also highlighted the work of Canadian Armed Forces personnel, who have been on the ground since mid-November to help farmers rescue livestock, resupply food to isolated communities, help repair critical infrastructure and assist with supply chain movement.

December 10, 2021 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada
As part of its inclusive approach to trade, Canada is developing and implementing policies to ensure that Indigenous peoples in Canada have access to all the benefits and opportunities that flow from international trade and investment.
Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, announced Canada’s endorsement of the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPETCA).
IPETCA was developed in close cooperation with Indigenous peoples in Canada through Global Affairs Canada’s Indigenous Working Group on Trade Policy and is open for other economies to join. IPETCA acknowledges the importance of enhancing the ability of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous businesses to benefit from the opportunities created by international trade and investment.
As a cooperation-based and voluntary instrument, IPETCA establishes a framework for facilitating cooperation between participating economies in order to identify and remove barriers to Indigenous peoples’ economic empowerment and participation in trade. It comprises provisions on responsible business conduct, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.
The agreement also includes a provision whereby participating economies acknowledge that it is inappropriate to weaken or reduce protections for Indigenous peoples in order to attract trade or investment. Indigenous representatives from each participating economy will be involved in the implementation and operation of IPETCA alongside government officials.
In the spirit of reconciliation and strengthening partnerships with Indigenous peoples in Canada, Minister Ng expects to hold a ceremony with Indigenous peoples in early 2022 to mark this historic arrangement.

December 10, 2021 – Ottawa, Ontario
The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, will make an announcement about the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. She will be joined by the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth; Yasir Naqvi, Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre; and Greg Fergus, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, to the President of the Treasury Board and Chair of the Parliamentary Black Caucus.
Date: Monday, December 13, 2021
Time: 4:00 p.m. (ET)
Location:Sprott School of BusinessCarleton UniversityNicol Building, Atrium1125 Colonel By DriveOttawa, Ontario                       
Notes

Media representatives wishing to take part in person must confirm their attendance with Alice Hansen no later than 11:00 a.m. on December 13 to ensure provincial guidelines for gatherings and physical distancing are respected.
Media outlets wishing to take part in the teleconference are asked to contact ISED Media Relations (media@ised-isde.gc.ca) to receive the dial-in information.
A live stream of the event will be available on the Canada Business Facebook page.

December 9, 2021 – Abbotsford, B.C. – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Media are invited to join Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau and B.C. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Lana Popham for a tour of an Abbotsford poultry farm in various stages of flood recovery.
Date
December 10, 2021
Time
11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. (local time)
Notes for media: Media representatives wishing to listen to the teleconference should dial: 1-888-892-3255, access code 704955 (Listen only, Q&A not possible).
Special instructions: Pre-registration is required to attend in person as spots are limited. As this is a working farm, attending reporters must agree to wear the provided personal protective equipment, follow directions of the farm staff when on site, and stay with the group for the entirety of the tour. Masks and physical distancing are encouraged, even when outdoors.
Media wishing to attend the event in person can pre-register by calling Tara Gostelow at 250-893-7136. Deadline for registration is 4 p.m. PT today.

December 9, 2021 – Ottawa, Ontario – Government of Canada
The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Joyce Murray, and the Minister of Northern Affairs, Daniel Vandal today issued the following statement in response to the Auditor General’s report on Protecting Canada’s Food System:
“We welcome the Auditor General’s report on Protecting Canada’s Food System. We recognize the importance of the findings and accept the recommendations.
Since the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has worked tirelessly to safeguard the health and well-being of Canadians. At a time when we faced disruptions to food processing and production, and unemployment and wage losses led to increased risks of food insecurity, we took quick and decisive actions to protect Canada’s food supply.
The Auditor General’s report highlights the collaboration that is required to protect and strengthen Canada’s food supply. As the report notes, we drew on a strong foundation of existing programs and mechanisms to create new emergency food programs quickly, and we engaged broadly with stakeholders across the food sector.
To make sure Canadians had stable access to food, we rolled out programs to address issues across the food supply chain, from processing to waste management. We put measures in place to keep workers safe, provided funding to get food on the tables of people facing food insecurity, prevented good food from going to waste, and increased funding to make food and other essential items more accessible and affordable for residents of isolated northern communities. The government further supported locally-led, innovative projects to ensure individuals and families had access to healthy and affordable food in their communities.
Food systems are essential for the health and well-being of Canadians and the strength of our economy. We are committed to working across all levels of government and with stakeholders to better plan and prepare for future crises affecting the food system.
The Government of Canada is committed to fairness, accountability, and performance measurement in program design and implementation. We also recognize the importance of collecting and reporting on data on Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) and sustainable development objectives in government initiatives, to ensure that we respond to the needs of diverse groups of Canadians, and take into account the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
As we move ahead in our efforts to strengthen the food supply chain, we will grow from the valuable lessons that we have learned during the pandemic. We will continue to work collaboratively so that all people in Canada are able to access a sufficient amount of safe, nutritious, and culturally diverse food, and so that Canada’s food system is resilient and innovative, sustains our environment, and supports our economy.”