On Behalf of Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada

This members-only quarterly bulletin highlights what we have accomplished thanks to your support, and offers a curated selection of good news from our sector.

On Your Behalf Edition 18: March 2022

 

1. FVGC advocates for Growers ahead of the 2023 Budget 

On February 10, 2023, FVGC submitted a written submission to the Department of Finance Canada Consultation in Advance of the 2023 Budget. This submission follows a similar submission that was sent to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance when it held its Pre-Budget consultations.
 
FVGC brought the concerns and recommendations of Canadian fruit and vegetable growers directly to the Department of Finance, and made 15 recommendations for inclusion in Canada’s 2023 Federal Budget. Among the 15 recommendations were: creating a statutory deemed trust for produce growers and sellers, increased funding for the Pest Management Centre, increasing the AgriStability trigger to 85%, and developing innovative risk management tools and broadening access to AgriInsurance for fruit and vegetable growers.
 
You can read the entire submission here. If you have any questions about the submission, please contact Robyn McKee (rmckee@fvgc.ca).
2. Launch of the Canadian Greenhouse Excellence Network (CGEN) and CGEN Lobby Day

The inaugural Canadian Greenhouse Excellence Network Summit took place on February 14, 2023. The Summit, an FVGC initiative, brought together experts and stakeholders from various fields, including greenhouse vegetable growers, allied industry and solution providers, government, and academia to explore new ideas at the intersection of climate change, food security, economic growth, and trade.
The CGEN Summit was a platform to inform the design of the network based on a strong public-private model, or central hub that aims to provide expertise and better ways to connect, collaborate, validate, and commercialize from the basis of grower-identified challenges and opportunities.

You can read more about the CGEN Summit here or visit the CGEN website for information on the Network.

Following the successful launch of CGEN, greenhouse vegetable growers, and representatives from industry and academia came together with FVGC staff to meet with over 20 Parliamentarians to discuss the importance of Bills C-234 and C-280, as well as the future of the Canadian Greenhouse Excellence Network.

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