Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food

Comité permanent de l'agriculture et de l'agroalimentaire

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 29, 2022 -

Today, MP Kody Blois, Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food sent a letter on behalf of the Committee to the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, outlining the Committee’s preliminary findings on the study of the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the global food security. The letter was also forwarded to other government ministers whose portfolios are relevant to this important issue.

“Today our committee released seven interim recommendations that we feel are important to support Ukraine and help mitigate the global food crisis” said Kody Blois, Chair of the Committee, “we acknowledge that the government has recently announced $250M to support the World Food Program and $52M at the G7 to support Ukrainian agriculture, these are important steps and we encourage the government to continue identifying ways for Canada to lead on this important issue, including the requisite military support for Ukraine to stop Russian advances and ultimately win the war”.

The Committee heard important testimony from 17 witnesses, including Yuliya Klymenko, member of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Mykola Solskyi, along with representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the European Union (EU), the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and other organizations with a deep knowledge of the subject.

The Committee made seven recommendations to the government, including providing support to Ukraine’s war-affected agricultural sector by providing temporary grain storage facilities, cooperating to ensure access to veterinary and phytosanitary inspection services, and providing demining equipment to clear the approximately 13% of arable land that contains mines or unexploded shells. The Committee also recommended that the government continue to work on possible diplomatic resolutions on the blockade of the Black Sea, and provide military equipment, training, and resources to Ukraine to help stop Russian advances in eastern and southern Ukraine, in an effort to mitigate the global food crisis.

Beyond the immediate needs in Ukraine, the Committee recommends that the government support international efforts to provide additional support for organizations such as the World Food Progrram to build capacity in vulnerable countries and contribute to humanitarian assistance. Here in Canada, the Committee recommends that the government consider ways to address bottlenecks in Canada’s food supply chain and ensure that Canada’s farmers have the fertilizer they need to meet global food demand.

The Committee intends to continue this study and table a comprehensive report to the House of Commons this fall.

The letter with all seven recommendations and links to meetings and documents related to this study are available on the Committee’s website.