Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC; sometimes Ag-Canada; french: Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada)''Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada'' is the applied title under the

Federal Identity Program The Federal Identity Program (FIP) is the Government of Canada's corporate identity program (management), program. The purpose of the FIP is to provide to the public a consistent and unified image for federal government projects and activities. O ...

; the legal title is Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food (). is the

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

responsible for the federal regulation of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, including policies governing the production, processing, and marketing of all farm, food, and agri-based products. Agriculture in Canada is a shared jurisdiction and the department works with the provinces and territories in the development and delivery of policies and programs. The

minister of agriculture and agri-food The minister of agriculture and agri-food (french: ministre de l'agriculture et de l'agroalimentaire) is a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Foo ...

(currently

Marie-Claude Bibeau Marie-Claude Bibeau (born April 4, 1970) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Compton—Stanstead in the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she was sworn in ...

) is responsible for the department to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. While the minister is head of the department, and provides policy/political direction, the day-to-day operations of the department are managed by the deputy minister (currently Chris Forbes), who is a

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

History

The Department of Agriculture for Canada was formed in 1867. It was organized under the ''Department of Agriculture Act'', which was passed by Parliament and given royal assent on 22 May 1868. The first minister of agriculture,

Jean-Charles Chapais Jean-Charles Chapais, (December 2, 1811 – July 17, 1885) was a Canadian Conservative politician, and considered a Father of Canadian Confederation for his participation in the Quebec Conference to determine the form of Canada's governmen ...

, and his deputy, Dr. Joseph Charles Taché, were soon presenting important Bills to the House of Commons for the protection and improvement of Canadian agriculture. One of the first Bills was an ''Act Respecting Contagious Diseases of Animals'', passed in 1869. This law gave the chief veterinary inspector, Dr. Duncan McEachran, who was also the dean of medicine at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, authority to prevent the introduction of animal diseases into Canada.

Other responsibilities

In addition to agriculture, the minister and the department had many other wide-ranging national responsibilities including immigration, public health, censuses and statistics, patents, copyrights, and trademarks. Over time, these other responsibilities were transferred to other departments. For example, the collection of statistics was transferred to the

Dominion Bureau of Statistics The Dominion Bureau of Statistics was a Canadian government organization responsible for conducting censuses. It was formed in 1918 by the Statistics Act, but was replaced by Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique C ...

(now

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

) in 1918, and

healthcare in Canada Healthcare in Canada is delivered through the provincial and territorial systems of publicly funded health care, informally called Medicare (Canada), Medicare. It is guided by the provisions of the ''Canada Health Act'' of 1984, and is Universal ...

was transferred to the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

when it was created in 1919.

Portfolio organizations

Today, organizations for which the minister of agriculture and agri-food is responsible for include: *

Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal The Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal is a Canadian regulatory appellate tribunal, which reviews administrative monetary penalty cases relating to agriculture and agri-food. History The Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal is an independent, qua ...

Canadian Dairy Commission The Canadian Dairy Commission (French: ''Commission canadienne du lait'') is an Ottawa-based Government of Canada Crown Corporation that plays a role of administrator, facilitator and stakeholder in the public policy related to the Canadian dair ...

Canadian Grain Commission , image = The Canadian Grain Commission building at 303 Main Street, Winnipeg Manitoba.JPG , image_caption = CGC building at 303 Main Street in Winnipeg , formed = , preceding1 = Board of Grain Commissioners for Canada , headquarters = 303 ...

Farm Credit Canada Farm Credit Canada (FCC; known as Farm Credit Corporation until 2001) is Canada's largest agricultural term lender. This organization's purpose is to enhance rural Canada by providing specialized and personalized financial services to farming ope ...

Farm Products Council of Canada The Farm Products Council of Canada (formerly the National Farm Products Council) is a Canadian government agency established in 1972 that is responsible for promoting efficient and competitive agriculture. It oversees the national Supply managem ...

Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency is a special operating agency of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada that regulates and supervises pari-mutuel Parimutuel betting or pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed t ...

In 2013, the

Canadian Food Inspection Agency The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA; french: Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments) is a regulatory agency that is dedicated to the safeguarding of food, plants, and animals (FPA) in Canada, thus enhancing the health and well-being o ...

was moved from the Agriculture Portfolio to the Health Portfolio.

Legislation

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is responsible for a number of laws related to agriculture and food in Canada. *''Agricultural Marketing Programs Act'' *''Agricultural Products Marketing Act'' *''Animal Pedigree Act'' *''Canada Grain Act'' *''Canadian Agricultural Loans Act'' *''

Canadian Dairy Commission Act The Canadian Dairy Commission (French: ''Commission canadienne du lait'') is an Ottawa-based Government of Canada Crown Corporation that plays a role of administrator, facilitator and stakeholder in the public policy related to the Canadian dair ...

'' *''Canada Grain Act'' *''Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Act'' *''Experimental Farm Stations Act'' *''Farm Debt Mediation Act'' *''

Farm Credit Canada Act Farm Credit Canada (FCC; known as Farm Credit Corporation until 2001) is Canada's largest agricultural term lender. This organization's purpose is to enhance rural Canada by providing specialized and personalized financial services to farming ope ...

'' *''Farm Income Protection Act'' *''Farm Products Agencies Act'' *''Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act''

Research

As part of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Science and Technology Branch (french: Direction générale des sciences et de la technologies) has the mandate to propose solutions and opportunities based on science to support competitiveness and the sustainability of the agriculture and agri-food sector. It is also in the Branch's mandate to provide scientific information to inform departmental and governmental decision processes. Under the ''Experimental Farm Stations Act'' dating back to 1886, farm stations across Canada were established, including the Central Experimental Farm. The officers of these stations had the duty of conducting research in a number of specific areas pertinent to agricultural productivity and conservation, and of making the results of such research known by publication. Today, the Science and Technology Branch includes a national network of 20 Research and Development Centres and 30 satellite research locations. The Science and Technology Branch has approximately 2,200 employees, including some 400 research scientists. The goal of all activities is to address the major scientific challenges facing 21st century agricultural production systems: * Increasing agricultural productivity, * Enhancing environmental performance, * Improving attributes for food and non-food uses, * Addressing threats to the agriculture and agri-food value chain.

Industry support

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is also responsible for supporting corporate and local agricultural producers and suppliers. They do this through a variety of programs and services including Agri-Geomatics which develops products and services for internal and external users, and program facilitation. The department supports market growth through its market access and trade negotiation activities, and it works with Canada's provinces and territories to promote Canadian products. The department also supports industry by focusing on science and technology advances and helping producers mitigate risks.

Notable people

Botany

* Faith Fyles (1875-1961), botanical artist *

Felicitas Svejda Felicitas Svejda (November 8, 1920 – January 19, 2016) was a federal scientist in Canada who developed roses that could survive Canada's short growing season and bitter winter conditions. She led the rose-breeding program at the Central Experim ...

(1920-2016), creator of the explorer roses

Cereals and Pulses

Nancy Ames Nancy Ames (born Nancy Hamilton Alfaro on September 30, 1937) is an American folk singer and songwriter. She regularly appeared on the American version of the television series ''That Was the Week That Was''. The TW3 Girl, as she was known, s ...

, researcher of barley * Vern Burrows (1930-2020), international authority on oat breeding and utilisation * Jennifer Mitchell Fetch, expert in oat breeding * Soon Jai Park (1937-2018), author of dry bean breeding program * Charles E. Saunders (1867-1937), inventor of the 'Marquis' wheat cultivar

Climate Change, Sustainable Agricultural Practices, and Nutrient Cycling

Raymond Desjardins Raymond L. Desjardins is a senior research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in the Agrienvironment Division of the Ottawa Research and Development Centre. His areas of expertise include agricultural meteorology, micrometeorolog ...

, expert in agricultural meteorology and climate change * Barbara Cade-Menun, world leader in studying phosphorus cycling *

Guy Lafond Guy Lafond was a research scientist for over 30 years with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Indian Head Research Farm in Saskatchewan. He was instrumental in establishing the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF) in the early ...

(d. 2013), researcher in

no-till farming No-till farming (also known as zero tillage or direct drilling) is an agricultural technique for growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage. No-till farming decreases the amount of soil erosion tillage causes in certai ...

Earth Observation

Heather McNairn Heather McNairn, is a federal research scientist at the Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She specializes in remote sensing technology, and her research focuses on the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar satell ...

, specialist in

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...

technology * Elizabeth Pattey, specialist in micrometeorology

Food Processing

* Joyce Boye, specialist in value-added food processing, food safety and food quality * Mary MacArthur, researcher on the processes of

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

and freezing of fresh foods, first woman to be named as fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada (1952) * Michèle Marcotte, creator of the method of

osmotic dehydration Osmotic dehydration is an operation used for the partial removal of water from plant tissues by immersion in a hypertonic (osmotic) solution. Sugar or salt solutions are used to reduce the moisture content of foods before actual drying process. ...

of food

Horticulture

* Donald A. Young (1929-2015), developed new sorts of potatoes

Pest Management

* Karen Bailey, specialist in

plant pathology Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungus, fung ...

and

biopesticide A Biopesticide is a biological substance or organism that damages, kills, or repels organisms seens as pests. Biological pest management intervention involves predatory, parasitic, or chemical relationships. They are obtained from organisms inclu ...

development * Deena Errampalli, worked on postharvest pathology of temperate tree fruits

Plant Genetics

* Sylvie Cloutier, specialist in

molecular genetics Molecular genetics is a sub-field of biology that addresses how differences in the structures or expression of DNA molecules manifests as variation among organisms. Molecular genetics often applies an "investigative approach" to determine the ...

Livestock

* Karen Beauchemin (b. 1956), international authority on

methane emissions Increasing methane emissions are a major contributor to the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere, and are responsible for up to one-third of near-term global heating. During 2019, about 60% (360 million tons) of methane r ...

and

ruminant Ruminants (suborder Ruminantia) are ungulate, hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by Enteric fermentation, fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally ...

nutrition * Helene Lapierre, researcher of animal metabolism * Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein, expert in farm animal behaviour, health and welfare

Mycology and Plant Pathology

Yolande Dalpé Yolande Dalpé is a former Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She became the first mycologist in Ottawa to study the taxonomy of mycorrhizal fungi. Her research focuses on developing new information on taxonomy, phylogeny, ...

(1948), first mycologist in Ottawa to study the taxonomy of mycorrhizal fungi *

Mary Elizabeth Elliott Mary Elizabeth Elliott (December 10, 1923 – September 10, 1976) was a Canadian Plant pathology, plant pathologist and Mycology, mycologist who spent 28 years with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She was known for her work on the taxonomy and ph ...

* Margaret Newton * Mildred K. Nobles *

Luella Weresub Luella Kayla Weresub, Ph.D. (19181979) was a world authority on the botanical nomenclature of fungi,Estey, R.H., 1994. A history of mycology in Canada. Can. J. Bot. 72: 751 -766.Kricsfalusy V., Shevera M., Tykhonenko M. 2013. Mycologist Dr. Luella ...

Oil Seeds

* Keith Downey * Isobel Parkin

Soil Fertility

* Constantine Campbell * Cynthia Grant * G. Clarke Topp *

Noura Ziadi Noura Ziadi is a Canadian research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), at the Quebec Research and development centre, whose research focuses on soil fertility and plant nutrition. She has developed technologies, methods, and kn ...

References

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada Federal departments and agencies of Canada Agricultural organizations based in Canada

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Regulators of biotechnology products Ministries established in 1868 1868 establishments in Canada Regulators of Canada