![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Carla-panel-1024x495.jpg\"\/)
Panelists Frank Drouin, Brodie Berrigan and moderator Carla Ventin.<\/p>\nRegulatory modernization, public plant breeding, research funding and Canada\u2019s competitiveness in genetics are no longer isolated policy files. They\u2019re becoming part of a much broader discussion inside Ottawa about economic security and national resilience.<\/p>\n
That was the message from a policy panel at the Canadian Seed Growers\u2019 Association\u2019s annual meeting in Whitehorse, Yukon, on Saturday, where government relations experts argued the federal government\u2019s priorities are shifting in ways that could create new opportunities, and new risks, for the seed sector.<\/p>\n
The panel featured Carla Ventin, owner of Mile26 Strategy; Brodie Berrigan, senior director of government relations and farm policy with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture; and Frank Drouin, senior advisor with Capital Hill Group and former parliamentary secretary to the federal minister of agriculture.<\/p>\n
Ventin said Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s government has begun framing food production, innovation and regulatory efficiency as strategic national priorities, creating a different policy environment than the seed sector has operated in previously.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot be sovereign if we don\u2019t have energy security or food security,\u201d Ventin said, pointing to the government\u2019s National Food Security Strategy, regulatory modernization efforts and recognition of food production as a strategic sector.<\/p>\n
For delegates, the discussion quickly turned to what those signals could mean for the seed sector. One recurring theme was regulatory modernization.<\/p>\n
Berrigan said organizations such as CSGA have an opportunity to help shape changes underway at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and other federal regulators.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to be partners in this process,\u201d he said. \u201cWe think we have a lot of advice that we can offer collectively as a sector on how that implementation can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Panelists Frank Drouin, Brodie Berrigan and moderator Carla Ventin.<\/p>\n
Research and public plant breeding also dominated the conversation. Audience members questioned the federal government\u2019s decision to close several Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research facilities, arguing the move could weaken Canada\u2019s long-term innovation capacity.<\/p>\n
Drouin acknowledged the frustration but suggested organizations need to engage government earlier in the policy process.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just too late when the announcement is done,\u201d he said. \u201cNow you need to be working on the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berrigan agreed the issue extended beyond the closures themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rollout led with the cuts and didn\u2019t lead with the vision,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would have been better was for the Government of Canada to come forward with, \u2018Here\u2019s where we\u2019re going on research and innovation in Canada.’\u201d<\/p>\n
The panel also argued the seed sector needs to broaden where it directs its advocacy Rather than focusing solely on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Drouin encouraged organizations to engage departments responsible for trade, labour, infrastructure, immigration and finance when policy decisions affect innovation and competitiveness.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a labour issue\u2026 go lobby that minister,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Berrigan echoed that view, arguing the seed sector should frame plant breeding, regulatory efficiency and innovation as solutions to broader government priorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelping these other ministers understand that agriculture is an important part of their ability to deliver on their own objectives, that\u2019s the next frontier.\u201d<\/p>\n
A second theme was unity. Drawing on his experience in Parliament, Drouin said governments are far more likely to act when organizations align around a small number of shared priorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t present a unified message, then it\u2019s often the excuse to do nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Regulatory modernization, public plant breeding, research funding and Canada\u2019s competitiveness in genetics are no longer isolated policy files.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":486320,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194295],"tags":[53629,49,48,1048,20739,2100,53428,13964],"class_list":["post-782577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ottawa","tag-associations","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-events","tag-ottawa","tag-policy","tag-regulatory","tag-seed-world-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/486320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}