The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) goes into effect on April 1, 2023.

This agreement has set $1 billion in federal programs and activities, and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs and activities funded by federal, provincial and territorial governments, up 25 per cent from the 2018-2023 agreement.

Details and applications are available online for AgriAssurance, AgriCompetitiveness, AgriDiversity, AgriInnovate, AgriMarketing and AgriScience. 

In addition to these programs, the Sustainable CAP includes $2.5 billion in cost-shared programming that will be delivered by provincial and territorial governments. Bilateral agreements between the Government of Canada and the provincial and territorial governments are in the process of being finalized.

Sustainable CAP includes, among other things, a new $250 million Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program to support ecological goods and services offered by the agricultural sector.

Canadian producers will also have access to an enhanced suite of business risk management programs to help manage significant risks that threaten the viability of their farms and are beyond their capacity to manage, including an increase of the reference margins from 70 per cent to 80 per cent in AgriStability.

Sustainable CAP focuses on the five key priority areas agreed to in The Guelph Statement:

• Building sector capacity, growth and competitiveness

• Climate change and environment

• Science, research and innovation

• Market development and trade

• Resiliency and public trust

Exports of agriculture, agri-food, fish and seafood products grew to $92.7 billion in 2022, compared to $82.4 billion in 2021.

Source: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada March 31, 2023 news release