Prime Minister Trudeau shuffles his cabinet – Lawrence MacAulay becomes Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food On July 26, half way through his government’s second minority mandate, the Prime Minister made significant changes to his cabinet. Changes to parliamentary secretaries are likely to follow, with changes to House of Commons Committee memberships likely to take place in the fall. Highlights for FBC-ABC Members include:
FBC-ABC will begin outreach to each of the incoming Minister’s to congratulate them on their new roles and will monitor for the resulting staff changes in key offices.
Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers of Agriculture meet to support a competitive and sustainable agriculture and agri-food sector The annual conference of Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers of Agriculture was held in New Brunswick last week. Ministers discussed the agriculture and agri-food sector’s key issues, including the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership, extreme weather situations, African Swine Fever, innovation, international trade, and supply chain resiliency, including the Grocery Code of Conduct. The FPT Ministers indicated they remain open to discussing how governments can support this effort going forward and called for the participation of all key players in the industry. Reminder: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launches consultation on immigration levels IRCC is seeking feedback to help inform the next 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan and the Department’s ongoing work. Responses are due by August 4, 2023. You can complete the survey here, and review the questions here. Government of Canada awards contracts to help modernize immigration and citizenship services On July 21, the government announced it has awarded 2 contracts, with a combined initial value of $85.4 million, to develop the new Client Experience Platform, which will provide clients with a more user-friendly interface to access Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada programs and services. Summer Cabinet Retreat and Conservative Party Policy Convention The Prime Minister and his cabinet are expected to attend a summer cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, PEI from August 21-23. The Conservative Party of Canada is holding its policy convention in Quebec City from September 7-9. |