Canada's agri-food sector needs to make clear to the federal government that solving its labour issues ties into economic and nation-building plans, industry insiders say.

Agriculture, food should tie labour needs to federal priorities, panel says
Government spending commitments to defense, housing could draw away workers from strapped labour pool

Farm wages, benefits have room to improve, survey says
Agriculture wages lag behind fields like construction, manufacturing, transport; jobs may lack basic benefits
"While some agriculture employers offered these benefits, many participating organizations do not offer any flexible work arrangements or basic benefits like sick days," CAHRC wrote in a report on its 2024 survey of compensation practices in Canadian agriculture.

Farm employee, employer’s perceptions differ on worker retention
Ag domestic labour gap will increase 15 per cent by 2030 as older workers retire: CAHRC
Manual labour and long hours may be less of a deterrent to farm workers than farmers think, a new report suggests.

CAHRC puts out funding call for Indigenous training initiatives
Funds to be accessed Feb. to March., with deadline to apply at end of January
The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) is looking to fund agriculture training programs for Indigenous participants this winter, it announced today.