1. The Canadian Food Action Plan
A Policy Framework for Creating a National Food
Policy that Supports Sustainable Agriculture and
Alleviates Poverty

2. 1
The Canadian Food Action Plan
A Policy Framework for Creating a National Food Policy that Supports
Sustainable Agriculture and Alleviates Poverty
S. Cena Rouzes
January 27, 2015
Written as a part of course requirement for ENVM 427
at Royal Roads University

3. 2
Introduction
Food is not only necessary for survival, it is a cornerstone of culture and a centerpiece of
family gatherings (Canadian Federation of Agriculture, n.d.). Canadian food culture has
shifted in recent years, and Canadians are becoming increasingly aware of food and food
issues such as where their food comes from and how it is produced. Canadians are also
concerned with the social and environmental impacts, both locally and abroad, of their food
choices (Government of Canada, 1998). Unfortunately, the current Canadian food policy
arena doesn’t adequately represent this demographic shift in perspective.
Canada doesn’t currently have a national food policy that is designed to reflect the reality of
our biological and social dependence on food and the resources needed to produce it
sustainably (MacRae, 2011). We urgently need food policies that address food insecurity
resulting from increased poverty that also support sustainable agriculture practices. This
policy analysis of past and current food policy initiatives is meant to support Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau and his cabinet in formulating and implementing a cohesive and
comprehensive national food policy and proposes a policy solution framework called ‘The
Canadian Food Action Plan (CFAP)’. The CFAP was created from resources and discussions
drawn from a team of concerned food studies academics and citizens. The development of
the CFAP also involved stakeholders from a variety of different food based nongovernmental
organizations such as Food Secure Canada, Food Tank, Food First, and Slow Food
International.

4. 3
Background
Food policies must address the very complex interplay of consumption and demand policies,
production and supply policies, market policies, natural resources management policies
(Pinstrup-Andersen, & Watson, 2011), nutrition policies, agricultural policies, as well as
subsidy and tax policies. The complex nature of food has contributed to Canada never having
had an integrated national food policy (MacRae, 2011). Food has always been framed in the
context of an industrial, commodity based market economy where food was primarily a thing
to be bought and sold (MacRae, 2011).
In Canada, agriculture and agri-food policies of the past have focused on isolated, five-year
policy planning cycles that created short-term band-aid solutions to address immediate needs
rather than creating long-term solutions (Canadian Federation of Agriculture, n.d.).
The history of Canadian food policy has been primarily based on agricultural policies that
promote an export-oriented approach to food commodity production (MacRae, 2011).
Emphasis has been placed on food regulations such as food safety and fraud prevention. The
1970s brought food to the forefront with the first ‘world food crisis’ where the price of soy,
corn, and wheat nearly tripled (Friedmann, 2012, p.17). This led a Canadian federal
interdepartmental working group to attempt to create a preliminary food strategy (MacRae,
2011).
During the 1980s, the focus was placed on studying individual commodities such a bread to
understand how complex global patterns of distribution, production, and consumption could
be a lens through which to understand changes in family and community (Friedmann, 2012,
p.19). This demonstrated yet another way to understand food as an isolated player in very
complex global economic markets.
In October 1998, Canada once again tried to adopt a national food policy called Canada's
Action Plan on Food Security (CAPFS). CAPFS would fail due to tensions and contradictions
regarding social, economic, and environmental priorities present within Canada's
commitment to maintaining a productionist approach to agriculture (MacRae, 2011). The
CAPFS was followed by the development of the National Food Policy Framework (NFPF)
between members of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Health Canada, and the Public
Health Agency of Canada (National Food Policy Framework, 2005).

5. 4
The NFPF discussed new and improved ways of approaching the full range of policy
challenges related to Canada’s food supply and its many dimensions (National Food Policy
Framework, 2005). The framework supported the development and adoption of
multidisciplinary, intersectoral, and integrated approach to food safety, innovation, and
environmental health contexts (National Food Policy Framework, 2005). However, this
framework didn’t adequately recognize the social and environmental dimensions of food and
food systems.
Growing Forward 2 (GF2) is the latest five year (2013-2018) policy framework for Canada’s
agriculture and agri-food sectors that will see a 3 billion dollar investment by federal and
provincial governments to focus on research and innovation, competitiveness and market
development, adaptability and industry capacity through market based indicators of risk,
exports, food safety, biosecurity, and farm animal care (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,
2015). Once again, this policy framework does not recognize the social dimensions of food
such as inadequate access to healthy food choices due to growing inequality and poverty.
Nor does it recognize the need for increased emphasis on the development of sustainable
farming practices or more efficient food distribution pathways and infrastructure.

6. 5
Current Food Policy
Agriculture and agri-food provides one in seven Canadian jobs (Canadian Federation of
Agriculture, 2015) and represents nine percent of Canada’s annual GDP (Canadian Federation
of Agriculture, n.d.). Over the last twenty years, Canada has quadrupled its agricultural
exports (Food Secure Canada, 2011). In 2014 alone, Canada exported over 56 billion dollars
of agri-food and seafood to countries worldwide (Government of Canada, 2015). Our
domestic and export market sales create and sustain 2.4 million jobs, while the bottom line
for many food producers remains frighteningly low. Average farming incomes have dropped,
and an increasing amount of our food is being imported despite our abundant access to
arable land and water (Government of Canada, 2015).
Food is a basic human right as declared by the United Nations (World Hunger, 2009), and yet
an increasing number of Canadians do not have access to affordable, nutritious food. As we
see in Figure 1, in March 2015, roughly 852,000 Canadians sought assistance from local food
banks, with over 35% of users being children (Food Banks Canada, 2015a) and 46% of users
receiving some form of social assistance benefits (Food Banks Canada, 2015b).
Figure 1

7. 6
In 2009, the Liberal Party consulted with farmers and Canadians on food issues. The result
was the development of the current Liberal Party Food Policy highlighting the need for a
national food policy that builds long-term solutions to sustainable farming incomes, and
informs Canadians about the importance of choosing healthy foods that are produced in
Canada (National Food Policy Framework, 2005). Three key ideas were presented in this
policy framework. The first being the design of incentives and tax policies that promote local
food production and support local food processing and distribution networks such as markets
and co-operatives. The second being enacting a Heritage Breed Act to help preserve
heritage seed biodiversity. The third referring to availability and access to skills training and
mentorship programs to help the industry recruit young people enter farming (National Food
Policy Framework, 2005). Prime Minister Trudeau has expressed interest in helping Canada’s
agricultural sector become safer and more innovative through investing roughly 540 million
dollars in research, innovation, food safety, and the use of clean technologies in food
production (Liberal Party Canada, 2015). This platform supports the current export-oriented
approach of Canadian agriculture by increasing access to international markets for Canadian
agri-foods and fails to recognize the need for a national food policy that puts Canadians first
by promoting policies that alleviate poverty and promote sustainable agricultural ideas
designed to benefit Canadians.
Food Secure Canada is an alliance of organizations and individuals working together to
advance food security and food sovereignty through three inter-locking goals: zero hunger,
healthy and safe food, and sustainable food systems (http://foodsecurecanada.org/who-we-
are). Their report “Resetting the Table: A People’s Food Policy for Canada” calls for policy
measures that would ensure Canadians eat food that is produced as close to home as
possible and support food producers in the shift from chemically intensive to ecologically
focused farming techniques. Resetting the table also calls for the implementation of a federal
policy that alleviates poverty so people can afford to buy healthy food. The report also
discussed educational factors such as funding school gardens and a national food literacy
program for children, which complements the report’s call for a public awareness campaign
that would bring the general population into discussions and decisions that would affect the
food system (Food Secure Canada, 2011).

8. 7
What Does a National Food Policy Need?
An integrated national food policy must address the social dimensions of food by ensuring
that every Canadian has the financial means to afford to buy healthy food. Alleviating or
eliminating poverty through improved social benefits programs that assist those living below
the poverty line, especially employable adults, persons with disabilities, single parents with
children, and the elderly is needed to address food access issues. Improved social assistance
policies dictating the transfer of money from federal to provincial governments paired with
increased government regulation of food prices and rental accommodation costs will have
positive outcomes for people who cannot afford good food (Suschnigg, 2012, pp.223-242).
The creation of a guaranteed living income either through improved welfare payments,
disability payments, or the adoption of a guaranteed minimum income program such as the
MINCOME project, first piloted in Dauphin, Manitoba during the 1970s (Lum, 2014) would
ensure every Canadian has financial access to nutritious food.
What we eat and how we eat has more impact on the earth than almost anything else (Sage,
2012, p.1). An integrated Canadian food policy must also address the environmental
dimensions of food production, distribution, and consumption. A sustainable food system
must be able to demonstrate that it can optimise and maintain agricultural output without
compromising the natural resource base on which it relies (Sage, 2012, p.5). A sustainable
food system must also try to reduce the use of fossil-fuel intensive practices such as fertilizers
and farming equipment, and must also work to reduce waste streams and bring pollution
levels down (Sage, 2012). A sustainable food system cannot exist without social justice which
ensures access to safe, healthy, nutritious food for all.
The global agri-food system and risks posed by climate change, biodiversity loss,
eutrophication from agricultural runoff, desertification and depletion of freshwater resources
will be felt not only here in Canada, but in regions where our imported food is grown (Sage,
2012). The link between poverty and the unsustainable use of natural resources such as
deforestation, soil mining, and desertification (Pinstrup-Andersen, & Watson, 2011) in areas
where our food imports come from should also be addressed through improved international
agricultural support programs aimed at sharing technology and knowledge relating to
ecologically sustainable farming practices. The issues of climate change and biodiversity loss
should not only be the focus of national policy, but improved international policies that focus
less on international trade and markets, and place emphasis on both the local and global
effects of unsustainable farming and food production.

9. 8
Canada’s growing reliance on imported food, means that the increased threats to food
security brought on by climate change and natural disasters in far off places can, will have
direct impacts on our food supply. This means that Canada must shift away from a pro-export
policy stance, towards food policy that puts food produced and grown by Canadian farmers
on the plates of Canadians. Our current export-oriented approach to agricultural production
(Food Secure Canada, 2011) has negative effects on our ecosystems by focusing on high
yield, intensive, industrial agriculture that overly relies on pesticides and genetically modified
crops. The sustainable management of natural resources can ensure food system stability and
sustainability (Pinstrup-Andersen, & Watson, 2011) in the face of climate change. A
sustainable food system can be achieved if environmental externalities are internalized in
decisions related to the food system (Pinstrup-Andersen, & Watson, 2011). Meaning that
government policies should reflect the interdependent links between human systems (such as
culture and global markets) and natural systems (such as ecosystem services and natural
resources) by supporting a shift towards ecologically sustainable, locally based food
production systems that rely on traditional ecological knowledge and techniques.

10. 9
Action Plan
Formulating effective public policies that respect the rights of people, as well as satisfying
multiple elements of the above mentioned policy areas, is a difficult and important challenge
facing policy makers. My proposed Canadian Food Action Plan (CFAP) attempts to address
this very complex interplay of food policies, consumption and demand policies, production
and supply policies, market policies, natural resources management policies (Pinstrup-
Andersen, & Watson, 2011), nutrition policies, agricultural policies, as well as subsidy and tax
policies. With respect to this, the CFAP proposes the following:
- The formulation of policies that support an increase in citizen participation in local food co-
operatives, farmer’s markets, and the development of local food infrastructure such as
community and boulevard gardens, as well as local food processing and storage facilities.
- The creation of interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and cross-sectoral food policy advisory
panels that emphasize the convergence between international food policy and municipal
policy (Barling, & Duncan, 2015).
- Avoiding “territorial” disputes among government agencies and departments by clearly
stating that food policy is cross-departmental and will involve equal representation from
the Ministries of Agriculture and Agri-food, Health, Indigenous and Northern Affairs,
Families, Children and Social Development, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate
Change, Infrastructure and Communities, Fisheries and Oceans.
- The support of bureaucratic organizational changes that endorse more collaborative and
inclusive forms of democracy and governance (Barling, & Duncan, 2015) that encourage
the participation of people affected by food system policies (including marginalized
populations).
- The complete overhaul of current governance structures and policy architecture (Barling, &
Duncan, 2015) as it relates to food policy and legislation formulation.
- The integration of international, national, provincial, and municipal legislations (Seed, 2013)
that respond through feedback mechanisms that evaluate environmental, health, and
cultural information (MacRae, 2011).

11. 10
- The implementation of improved social assistance programs that ensure Canadians can
afford to buy healthy, nutritious, and local food.
- Addressing ways of achieving a balance between agricultural consumption and production
(Barling, & Duncan, 2015).
- Supporting innovation and research that strengthens Canadian food systems in the face of
climate change to ensure continued access to healthy, nutritious, and culturally significant
food.
- Implementation of policies that support retail and foodservice outlets in increasing
utilization of Canadian grown and processed products (Canadian Federation of
Agriculture, n.d.).
- Educational and financial assistance for youth wanting to enter the farming sector through
the creation of sponsored apprenticeship programs, student loan forgiveness programs,
and internship programs.
- The setting aside and conservation of arable land for agricultural purposes.
- Halting the use of temporary international agricultural workers in favour of employing low
skilled or under-employed Canadian residents wishing to enter the farming industry.
- Changing industrial agricultural policies that promote massive monocrop operations in
favour of farming practices that promote biodiversity and ecosystem harmony such as
agro-ecology and agro-forestry.
- Changing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Organic Products Regulations
certification process that makes the Canadian Organic Standards mandatory to encourage
cross provincial trading of organic products (Canadian Organic Growers, 2011).
- Promoting Indigenous communities ability to access traditional foods and medicines
through economic policy changes that address natural resource wealth distribution as well
as environmental policies that support sustainable management of ‘the commons’.
- Integrating ‘full-costing’ food prices at grocery stores. Meaning that the full cost of
environmental and social dimensions of food production are incorporated into the cost of

12. 11
goods either through taxes or subsidies (Pinstrup-Andersen, & Watson, 2011) whereby the
revenues generated would be used to remedy any negative environmental and social
effects.
- Strengthening policies related to urban food production such as the promotion of green
roofs, boulevard edible gardens, vertical farming, and providing education to prospective
urban farmers regarding accessing land in urban areas, gardening and agriculture etc
(Food Secure Canada, 2011).
- Adopting climate change mitigation policy that promotes the shift towards ecological
farming methods (Food Secure Canada, 2011).
- Removing financial and fiscal incentives that support ecologically unsustainable farming
practices and re-evaluating current Canadian Grants and Subsidies such as the
AgriMarketing-SME Component to shift focus from export markets to local market
opportunities (Government of Canada, 2016).
- Incentivize consumers to buy local foods through improved food access programs or tax
rebate programs that subsidize a portion of all local food purchases.
- Addressing the political power held by large agriculture and agri-food corporations
through improved democratic multi-stakeholder policy advisory committees.
- Advocating for research and innovation in the area of heritage and heirloom seed and
plant varieties that have different water requirements (Sage, 2012), different nutrient
requirements, and improved resilience to climatic changes.
- Developing policies for water-scarce regions of the country that support the rational use of
water in the planting, harvesting, and processing stages of agriculture.
- Allocating funding for a thorough Cost-Benefit Analysis to analyze what each province
needs from the federal government to ensure proper implementation of the CFAP.
- Supporting the creation of a ‘Food Policy Coalition’ that will assist the provinces and
municipalities in implementing the CFAP.

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- Conduct social impact assessments in northern and isolated communities as they shift
away from imported, unhealthy foods towards local food production.
- Adopting integrated pest management strategies to alleviate industry reliance on
industrially produced pesticides and herbicides (Sage, 2012).
- Strengthening small-scale rural and urban farming sectors to better include women,
indigenous groups, and other community based groups (United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development, 2013, p.62)

14. 13
References
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. (2015). Growing Forward 2. Retrieved from
http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/key-departmental-initiatives/growing-forward-
2/?id=1294780620963
Barling, D., & Duncan, J. (2015). The dynamics of the contemporary governance of the world’s
food supply and the challenges of policy redirection. Food Security, 7(2), 415-424.
doi:10.1007/s12571-015-0429-x
Canadian Federation of Agriculture. (n.d.). Towards a National Food Strategy: A framework
for securing the future of food. Retrieved from http://www.cfa-
fca.ca/sites/default/files/NFS.pdf
Canadian Federation of Agriculture. (2015). Standing Policy. Retrieved from http://www.cfa-
fca.ca/sites/default/files/Policy%20Manual_E_2015.pdf
Canadian Organic Growers. (2011). Canadian Organic Standards and Regulations. Retrieved
from http://www.cog.ca/about_organics/organic-standards-and-regulations/
Food Secure Canada. (2011). Resetting the Table: A people’s food policy for Canada.
Retrieved from http://foodsecurecanada.org/sites/default/files/fsc-resetting2012-8half11-
lowres-en.pdf
Food Banks Canada. (2015a). Food Bank Use in Canada by the Numbers. Retrieved from
https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/getmedia/c6b38a71-40b0-4308-a6ae-e853c2453ac6/Map-
of-Canada-English.jpg.aspx?width=1199&height=1199&ext=.jpg
Food Banks Canada. (2015b). Hunger Count 2015. Retrieved from Food Banks Canada
https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/FoodBanks/MediaLibrary/HungerCount/HungerCount2015
_singles.pdf
Friedmann, H. (2012). Changing Food Systems from Top to Bottom: Political economy and
social movements perspective. In M. Koç, J. Sumner, & A. Winson (Eds.), Critical Perspectives
in Food Studies (pp.16-32). Ontario: Oxford University Press Canada.

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Government of Canada. (1998). Canada’s Action Plan for Food Security. Retrieved from
http://www.agr.gc.ca/misb/fsec-seca/pdf/action_e.pdf
Government of Canada. (2015). Canadian Agri-Food and Seafood Exports by Country (by
value). Retrieved from http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/industry-markets-and-trade/statistics-and-
market-information/import-and-export-data/canadian-trade-data-by-country-and-
product/canadian-agri-food-and-seafood-exports-by-country-by-value/?id=1410072148226
Government of Canada. (2016). AgriMarketing-SME Component. Retrieved from
http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/program/5339/
Liberal Party Canada. (2015). Liberals present plan to grow agricultural sector. Retrieved from
https://www.liberal.ca/liberals-present-plan-to-grow-agricultural-sector/
Lum, Z. (2014). A Canadian City Once Eliminated Poverty And Nearly Everyone Forgot About
It.
Retrieved November 14, 2015, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/12/23/mincome-in-dauphin-
manitoba_n_6335682.html
MacRae, R. (2011). A joined-up food policy for Canada. Journal of Hunger & Environmental
Nutrition, 6(4), 424-457. doi:10.1080/19320248.2011.627297
National Food Policy Framework. (2005). National Food Policy Framework (NFPF) Overview.
Retrieved from http://cspinet.org/canada/pdf/nationalfoodpolicyframework.pdf
Pinstrup-Andersen, P., & Watson, D. D. (2011). Food policy for developing countries: The
role of government in global, national, and local food systems (1st ed.). Ithaca, N.Y:
Cornell University Press. doi:10.7591/j.ctt7v910
Sage, C. (2012). Environment and Food. New York, New York: Routledge.
Seed, B., Lang, T., Caraher, M., & Ostry, A. (2013). Integrating food security into public
health and provincial government departments in British Columbia, Canada.
Agriculture and Human Values, 30(3), 457-470. doi:10.1007/s10460-013-9426-x

16. 15
Suschnigg, C. (2012). Food Security? Some Contradictions Associated with Corporate
Donations to Canada’s Food Banks. In M. Koç, J. Sumner, & A. Winson (Eds.), Critical
Perspectives in Food Studies (pp.16-32). Ontario: Oxford University Press Canada.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2013). Trade and Environment
Review 2013 : Wake up before it’s too late: Make agriculture truly sustainable now for food
security and climate change. Retrieved from
http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ditcted2012d3_en.pdf
World Hunger. (2009). Special Report: The Right to Food Is a Basic Human Right. Retrieved
from http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/global/foodashumrgt/special.htm
Pictures/Figures to Include in my Report
Map of food banks https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/getmedia/c6b38a71-40b0-4308-a6ae-
e853c2453ac6/Map-of-Canada-English.jpg.aspx?width=1199&height=1199&ext=.jpg
Pictures of farmers market
http://www.hellovancity.com/events/vancouver-farmers-market-at-market-by-jean-georges-at-
shangri-la-hotel-vancouver/
http://townofmorris.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/organic-produce-from-farmers-market.jpg
pictures of small scale farms/farmers
http://www.claybottomfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/large.jpg
a quote about small scale, local farming from the UN?
““Smallholder farmers hold a massive collective store of experience and local knowledge that can provide
the practical solutions needed to put agriculture on a more sustainable and equitable footing,” said Elwyn

17. 16
Grainger Jones, Director of IFAD’s Environment and Climate Division.” taken from
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45076
“Traditional farming systems, [...] offer a wide array of management options and designs that enhance
functional biodiversity in crop fields, and consequently support the resilience of agroecosystems (Uphoff,
2002b, Toledo, & Barrera-Bassals, 2009 ac cited in
http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ditcted2012d3_en.pdf p.57)
“This report proposes sustainable agricultural intensification to achieve multiple environmental,
agricultural, social and economic benefits among smallholders and towards sustainable rural
development. “ p.9 taken from http://www.ifad.org/climate/resources/smallholders_report.pdf
“ The availability of a greater variety of nutritious foods at community and household levels can be
increased through the introduction of new crops, the promotion of underexploited traditional food crops,
and home gardens (FAO 1997; Faber and Wenhold 2007) p. 11 from
http://www.ifad.org/climate/resources/smallholders_report.pdf
“The demand on agriculture to feed a larger and more-urbanized population through global markets over
the next 40 years will continue to grow, placing additional pressure on available land. Current practices
are undermining the ecological foundation of the global food system through overuse and the effects of
agricultural pollution, thereby enhancing degradation, reducing ecosystem capacity to generate
sustainable yields and threatening food security. There is an urgent need to scale up sustainable
agricultural intensification (Royal Society 2009).” p.26 from
http://www.ifad.org/climate/resources/smallholders_report.pdf
“The productivity of smallholder agriculture and its contribution to the economy, food security and poverty
reduction depend on the services provided by well-functioning ecosystems, including soil fertility,
freshwater delivery, pollination and pest control.” p.6 ibid
“Sustainable agricultural intensification can be the answer to enhanced food security, environmental
protection and poverty reduction.” p. 7 ibid