“A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself, or defend itself has few options,” stated Prime Minister Mark Carney in January 2026 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

This speech kicked off a year where the federal government has substantively increased its focus on domestic food production and its linkages with Canadian sovereignty. In light of geopolitical tensions, global trade uncertainty, and rising food prices, producing more food at home is seen as very pragmatic. 

While many factors contribute to the success and challenges facing fruit and vegetable growers, access to effective crop protection products remains critical. For growers, simply put, protecting crops means protecting food. When insects, diseases, and weeds go unchecked, crop yield and quality decline, leading to smaller domestic harvests. For the many fruit and vegetables where Canada does not produce a sufficient domestic supply, it simply increases our reliance on imports to fill the shelves. This includes everyday produce items such as apples, onions, garlic, and strawberries to name a few – while Canada produces each of these crops, we are a significant net importer of them all.

That is why the federal government has an opportunity to bolster domestic food production with refreshed pest management policy. Apples, onions, and garlic can be stored after harvest. Strawberries can be grown in controlled environments throughout the year. We can produce a larger share of domestic needs in many crops, but growers need to be competitive to do so, and this includes the ability to adequately protect the crop.

With the passage of Bill C-30 in June 2026, parliament has taken a step in the right direction on a policy update to help ensure crop protection needs are met. The legislation amended the federal Pest Control Products Act by requiring the Minister of Health to consider national food security and economic security in its decisions, while respecting human and environmental health and safety. This was on top of the National Food Security Strategy, also released in June, which outlines goals towards producing and processing more food in Canada to reduce our reliance on imports – with particular emphasis on the fruit and vegetable sector.

This is a clear signal we need to do a better job of supporting Canadian growers and this includes ensuring growers can protect the crops that Canadians rely on. So what needs to happen to position Canada’s growers for success in pest management?

Firstly, we need to get new tools registered or approved and in growers’ hands as quickly as possible to fill pest management gaps. We must leverage products and regulatory data from other leading countries such as Australia, UK, U.S., New Zealand, and the European Union by ensuring they can be accepted here. Most companies are not going to go through extra steps to access the Canadian market. We must keep it accessible by ensuring our standards are comparable to our largest competitors.

Second, we must get registration timelines back on track. New active ingredients have been incredibly slow to be approved recently, taking many extra months or years to complete reviews compared to previous standards. In light of June’s legislative changes, Health Canada – which reviews all crop protection products prior to approval in Canada – should also be accelerating reviews which address the biggest pest management gaps. Solutions for emergency use needs and issues prioritized at the Canadian Pest Management Priority Setting Workshop (i.e. minor use meeting) should be reviewed with expedited timelines.

Third, we have to do more to ensure critical registrations for fruit and vegetables on existing labels are identified, prioritized, and incentivized for retention when current use conditions require changes. Health Canada regularly assesses products that are on the market to ensure they continue to meet current health and environmental standards. Under the current approach, there is often little emphasis on understanding how products are used in reality and which crop-specific registrations on a label are the most crucial for pest management.

There is much opportunity here to bring growers into the conversation to understand the most pressing needs, to help identify where to focus efforts on mitigations to retain uses, and to have updated labels which best reflect a particular product’s contribution to food and economic security.

Ultimately, this expanded focus is not about lowering safety standards - it's about recognizing that food security also matters. Canada's health and environmental protections remain fully in place, and protection of human health and the environment remains paramount. But when growers cannot access the tools they need to protect crops against weeds, pests and diseases, there can be consequences for food production, food availability and food prices – government should understand and try to mitigate these impacts.

"Fruit and vegetable growers can't produce food if they can't protect their crops against pests and diseases,” says Matt Sheppard, chair of the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association Crop Protection Committee. “Similarly, growers need a level playing field – including on crop protection – to compete with global imports.”

"Bill C-30 is important because it recognizes that food security matters. It maintains Canada's strong safety standards for the environment and human health while helping ensure growers have access to the tools they need to manage pests, reduce crop losses and continue supplying Canadians with high-quality fruits and vegetables."

Back in Davos, Prime Minister Carney emphasized that Canada must take a different path in a new global reality, and to start by building strength at home. By bolstering crop protection tools available to the fruit and vegetable sector, we are contributing to that domestic strength.