Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a beeline for the Ontario-grown strawberries when he visited Barrie Hill Farms on July 6. The Springwater-Ontario, on-farm market provided the perfect backdrop for owner Morris Gervais to air agricultural issues.

“The Prime Minister listened to our concerns,” says Gervais, a director representing the berry sector at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association. “It was refreshing. Let’s see what concrete action the government might take.”

First on the list was the adverse effects that tariffs are having on Russian-made fertilizer as a result of the war in Ukraine. Already, farmers are worrying about where fertilizer will be sourced for the 2023 crop year and at what price.

Secondly, Gervais highlighted the importance of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. For Gervais, many of his crops – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries – are hand-harvested. The prime minister had a chance to meet a worker from Barbados and Mexico, respectively, to hear their first-hand stories of supporting families back home. As part of this topic, Gervais raised concerns about the burden of audits and inspection teams, and explored the potential for a trusted employer program.

Thirdly, the horticulture industry is seeking a financial protection program that would support farmers in the case of default of a Canadian buyer. This was a timely follow-up to the private member’s bill C-280 put forward by MP Scot Davidson in June 2022.

Also accompanying the prime minister was the Hon. Helena Jaczek. In October 2021, she was appointed minister of the Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario.