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A Food Policy for Canada regional sessions continue in Guelph, Ontario

A Food Policy for Canada will set a long-term vision for the country's health, environmental, social, and economic goals related to food, while also identifying actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve Canada's food system.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, Kim Rudd, along with the Member of Parliament for Guelph, Lloyd Longfield, participated in a regional engagement session in Guelph, Ontario, as part of the ongoing consultations regarding the development of A Food Policy for Canada.

Stakeholders, Indigenous representatives, experts, and key policy makers were invited to join this session, part of a series being held across the country. The sessions began in August in Charlottetown and Saint-Hyacinthe, continuing in September in Vancouver, Yellowknife, and today's session in Guelph, and will conclude at the end of the month in Winnipeg.

Public consultations on A Food Policy for Canada were launched on May 29, 2017, with an online survey that asked Canadians for their input on food issues related to:

• increasing access to affordable food;
• improving health and food safety;
• conserving our soil, water, and air; and
• growing more high-quality food.

Response to the survey from across the country was strong, with more than 40,000 responses received before it closed on August 31, 2017.

"As Canadians, we know that having a reliable supply of affordable, nutritious, and safe food also depends on maintaining our country's natural resources. As a government, we must support growth and access while conserving the land. That is why I am so pleased to participate in today's A Food Policy for Canada engagement session – taking part in conversations like the one we are having today ensures that we build a Food Policy that reflects what is most important to Canadians when it comes to our food," said Kim Rudd, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources.