Agriculture Ministers Deliver Positive Assessment of Canada-Quebec Agreement After First Three Years
Québec City, Quebec, February 6, 2012 - The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture), and Pierre Corbeil, ministre de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation, ministre responsable des régions de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue et du Nord-du-Québec et député d'Abitibi-Est, issued a positive assessment of achievements in Quebec since 2008 resulting from the federal-provincial-territorial initiative Growing Forward.
Over the first three years of its implementation, the Growing Forward initiative enabled the investment of $114.3 million in various segments of the agri-food sector, including innovation, advisory services to producers, agri-environment, biosecurity, traceability and food safety on the farm and in processing plants.
"Growing Forward is a flexible framework that better meets local needs, thereby helping farmers here in Quebec build a more profitable and sustainable agricultural sector through innovation, proactive risk management and competitiveness," said Minister Paradis. "A number of new programs have been put into place since 2008, and I am pleased to see their positive results," he added.
"The flexibility built into Growing Forward enables Quebec, based on common goals defined by both governments, to design and implement new programs as well as to add a federal equity interest to existing programs, thereby enhancing the assistance offered by the ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec," said Minister Corbeil.
A sizeable budget has been allocated to this Canada-Quebec bilateral agreement, with the federal government contributing $115.2 million and Quebec $76.83 million. These programs will expire on March 31, 2013, and the federal, provincial and territorial governments have already embarked on a consultation process to discuss a successor framework for Growing Forward.
Information about Growing Forward is available on the MAPAQ website page for this federal-provincial initiative: www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/cultivonslavenir.
Source:
Margaux Stastny
Director of Operations
Office of the Minister of State (Agriculture)
613-773-1107
Pascale Dumont-Bédard
Press Secretary
Cabinet du ministre l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation
418-380-2525
Information:
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, ON
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
Caroline Fraser
Public Relations Specialist
Communications Branch
Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation
418-380-2100, ext. 3512
www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca
