“I saw firsthand all of the stress points at that huge hub and that’s certainly, I think, going to be an important priority for the Grain Growers,” said Bruce Burrows.

Burrows, who stepped into the executive director role on April 1, previously worked as president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce and as vice president and acting president and CEO of the Railway Association of Canada.

WHY IT MATTERS: Grain Growers of Canada is one of the largest national farm organizations in Canada, representing over 100,000 producers through 15 regional groups.

“Given my past roles in both modes, both the marine and rail mode, I’ve got a good deep network,” he said.

He said he sees opportunities to “bring coalition-building to a next level for farmers.”

Burrows also has experience with port infrastructure including the port of Vancouver, a critical exit point for Canadian grain exports. Bottlenecks at that port and other critical infrastructure threaten the sector’s reliability, so it must have a good relationship with the ports and railways in the west.

“We know the canola story well with China, which is a Vancouver story,” Burrows said, “but there are lots of other Asian markets beyond China, which I think the sector wants to target for growth. And that’s very much a West Coast story.”

He said he saw other transport opportunities in places like Thunder Bay.

Consulting and advocacy

Burrows also brings experience in government relations and international trade policy through his work with Tactix Government Relations and BurCan Consulting. He said one of his goals will be to build on the GGC’s reputation to strengthen government relations.

“Fine-tuning our advocacy skills is really critical in the consulting world,” he said. “I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade.”

Burrows looked forward to upcoming trade trips, particularly to the U.S., which he said will be critical.

“If there are some interesting missions that need to be organized, I’ve been part of those things before and (would) be willing to be part of them again.”

“Global trading relations come and go, politicians come and go, but geography doesn’t change,” he said. “So, that U.S.-Canadian relationship is going to be first and foremost.”

He also called Global Affairs Canada and the Trade Commissioner Service underused resources and said he was open to working with them.

Burrows said his first priority in his new role would be to listen.

“I’m going to be in intense learning mode for some time,” he said. “I know I have to walk the field before I start plowing it.”

Burrows said he’s interested to tour farm tours in Western Canada and to meet with farmers one on one.

Grain as a “superpower product”

He said he hopes to encourage the federal government to recognize grain’s importance.

Canada has significant market share in wheat, canola and pulse crops.

“From a broader policy perspective, I’ll be focusing on this so that the federal government understands that opportunity to ensure that grain is considered a Canadian superpower product.”

Burrows said he feels he is entering the sector at a pivotal time as Canada begins to recognize agriculture’s role as more than a basic resource.

“So, how do we leverage this moment?” he said. “I think that’s what’s really driving me, in terms of my interest getting into the role.”

“I think we can step up our game and really demonstrate… how critically important we are in terms of supporting the commitments of Canada going forward.”

Other priorities Burrows listed for his time in the role included:

• Ensuring Canadian grain is considered in the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.
• Engaging in labour issues and modernizing labour rules for a more predictable supply chain while respecting collective bargaining agreements.
• Finding ways to use precision agriculture technology to drive productivity and climate resiliency.
• Ensuring the movement of bulk resources at Canadian ports is recognized.

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Burrows has previously served as president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce and as vice president and acting president and CEO of the Railway Association of Canada. He also has experience in consulting and policy through Tactix Government Relations and BurCan Consulting.

Burrows will assume the role from previous executive director Kyle Larkin, who stepped down in December.

In a Thursday morning written release, Burrows called it “a real honour to join Grain Growers of Canada and represent the interests of grain farmers across the country.”

“Strong advocacy starts with strong connections, and I look forward to strengthening those relationships by working with producers and members across Canada to ensure their priorities continue to be clearly heard in Ottawa,” he said.

Burrows’ role begins April 1.

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“Transparency is essential when decisions affect the foundation of Canada’s agricultural research system,” said GGC chair Scott Hepworth in a Friday news release.

WHY IT MATTERS: In recent weeks, AAFC has confirmed it will be cutting 665 jobs and closing seven research centres across Canada — moves that have drawn broad criticism from the industry.

GGC said the cuts required impact assessments and will hinder the ability to assess downstream consequences on Canadian agriculture. It called for immediate clarity on affected programs, facilities and research capacity.

“Without clear disclosure of what research capacity is being reduced or eliminated, the sector cannot understand the long-term risks to production and competitiveness,” Hepworth added. “It must be clear what capacity is being lost, where, and with what consequences.”

GGC criticized the department for not providing more transparency around the reasoning for the cuts and for citing personnel confidentiality as their reasoning.

“Personnel confidentiality is not a barrier to clarity on program impacts,” Hepworth said, adding transparency about the affected programs is “both possible and necessary.”

In a previous statement to Glacier FarmMedia, a representative from AAFC cited “a careful review of the department’s science activities, sector priorities, capacity, and infrastructure” for the decisions.

The statement also said the choices “position AAFC to sustain strong scientific capacity, improve efficiency, and concentrate resources where they will continue to generate scientific, economic and environmental benefits.”

GGC also raised concerns about the potential impacts the cuts will have on research capacity, regional expertise and innovation in the sector.

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Grain Growers of Canada’s statement upon news of progress with China noted these are “preliminary steps to de-escalate recent trade tensions.”

The organization said the prolonged trade disruption has caused farmers to lose money, cash flow and confidence.

“Any progress that lowers barriers for Canadian agricultural products, including canola and pulses, is a positive step for farmers who depend on stable, rules-based trade,” GGC said.

The tariffs on canola and peas will be lowered but not completely eliminated.

GGC said tariff-free access to China and the United States should be the goal. More than 70 per cent of Canada’s production is exported, and the two markets can’t be replaced.

“At the same time, renewed engagement must be grounded in predictability and follow-through. Canadian farmers need assurance that market access will be durable, transparent and insulated as much as possible from future political escalation. Ongoing issues around trade enforcement, regulatory certainty and the treatment of Canadian exports will require continued, steady government attention,” the statement said.

The federal government must keep agriculture front and centre, it added.

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The Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) will join 14 other grain groups across the country, including Alberta Grains, SaskWheat and the Atlantic Grains Council. According to a Jan. 8 news release, trade, transportation, infrastructure and research will be central to the groups’ unified advocacy under the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC).

Ontario is one of Canada’s top grain producing provinces, including 60 per cent of all corn produced in the country. Prior to the announcement, it was the only province without representation as a GGC member group.

In the Jan. 8 release, GFO Chair Jeff Harrison called the partnership a “a strategic decision that reflects today’s political landscape and positions all grain farmers for long-term success,” saying grain farmers are strongest when standing with peers across Canada.

“We bring deep expertise and a strong voice to national discussions, and we are committed to working collaboratively to advance policies that benefit farmers from coast to coast,” Harrison said.

Scott Hepworth, GGC chair, said GFO’s joining the organization comes as Canadian grain farmers “have been dealing with the fallout of long-standing issues that have been left unresolved.”

“Global market instability is exposing cracks across the system, and Grain Farmers of Ontario joining Grain Growers of Canada reflects just how broad these pressures are and why a unified national voice, representing every major grain-producing region, is critical now,” said Hepworth.

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In a post on LinkedIn, Larkin called leading GGC the “the best experience of (his) career” and said it has been a privilege to work with grain farmer directors, Grains HQ colleagues and other stakeholders on behalf of “Canada’s 70,000 grain farmers.”

He also listed several of the organization’s accomplishments from his time as executive director, including “raising awareness on the importance of grain farmers as the backbone of Canada’s agriculture sector … getting Bills C-244 and C-294 passed to allow farmers to continue repairing their own equipment … and pushing for the passing of Bill C-234 to end the carbon tax for on-farm activities.”

Larkin said he will announce his “next steps” in the new year and looks forward to continuing to work to strengthen Canada’s agriculture sector.

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“For the first time in a decade or so, or maybe longer than that, agriculture was recognized as one of those strategic industries,” said Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) president Keith Currie in an interview with Glacier FarmMedia.

“There’s a lot of stuff in there that, if we do our job, agriculture has the opportunity to get a hold of some much-needed programming and funding,” he said.

He pointed to investments in communications and transportation infrastructure like rail and ports as areas where agriculture could see benefits.

The Carney government’s budget, released Tuesday, contained several investments aimed to help diversify Canada’s export market at a time when sectors have been kneecapped by ongoing trade disputes with the U.S. and China. It also announced funding to initiatives like the AgriStability and AgriMarketing programs and cutbacks to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Trade diversification

In a news release, the CFA praised investments in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to modernize its trade tools and expand market access for farmers and the re-establishment of the Accelerated Investment Initiative.

Currie said the CFIA funding could have positive impacts for the Canadian agricultural export market.

“That’s something I know we talked to our Mexican counterparts a lot about, how do we streamline and expedite the crossing of the borders?” He said. “Giving CFA some of those tools and … regulatory framework structure to help with that, I think is really important.”

Grain Growers of Canada praised the budget’s attention to trade diversification in a Tuesday written release but also cautioned against other measures it said could undermine the competitiveness of Canadian farms.

“I’m seeing first-hand how trade uncertainty is impacting grain farmers across the country,” said Grain Growers chair Scott Hepworth in the release. “With challenges in the U.S. and tariffs in China, producers are under real pressure. The new investments in digital export tools and market diversification are positive steps.”

The budget included measures to support small and medium-sized businesses find new markets abroad through CanExport. In a release following the budget, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president Candace Liang commended this new investment, which she said would keep Canadian businesses from being overly-reliant on the U.S market.

Organic

The Canadian Organic Growers weren’t surprised to see a lack of any specific focus on organic farming, but said many of the changes had potential to help the sector. New trade efforts could help diversify Canadian organic goods into the sought-after European and Indo-Pacific markets said Katie Fettes, Director of Policy and Research at Canadian Organic Growers.

“This whole focus on building our domestic infrastructure, including to support the trade diversification piece, that’s going to have a positive impact on the sector,” Fettes said, “including, definitely some of our growers in the Prairies that need that increased investment and access.”

One of the main goals for the Canadian organic sector’s recent Organic Action Plan is boosting organic production to keep up with market demand. Fettes said building infrastructure like transport and processing capacity can help with this goal.

Fettes said it was encouraging to see the budget aligning environmental and economic goals.

“Agriculture is a sector that really demonstrates that they have to go hand in hand.”

She said the idea of making environmentally sustainable outcomes financially beneficial is part of the whole point of the organic sector.

“Expanding organic production is, it’s going to … make our sector more competitive, but at the same time, it will have those climate benefits,” she said.

“There is that focus on competitiveness, being able to diversify, build resilience, and if we can connect climate into that, then all the better, because we’re kind of accomplishing two things at the same time.”

Budget cuts

The Grain Growers of Canada commended the permanent reversal of the capital gains tax increase but criticized the lack of commitments to interswitching. The producer group also expressed concern over plans to reduce AAFC’s operating budget by 15 per cent over three years, which it says could undermine research and innovation in the sector.

The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada also expressed concerns that cuts to AAFC’s budget would hamstring its ability to modernize agriculture safety nets.

“Food security is national security,” said the organization’s president Marcus Janzen in a Wednesday statement. “Today’s budget continues to leave growers exposed to ongoing trade uncertainty and extreme weather events.”

The Fruit and Vegetable Growers also pointed to a lack investments in the greenhouse sector.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers said it welcomed the government’s focus on infrastructure and workforce development, particularly the $75 million investment into the AgriMarketing Program.

Where the budget falls short, the association said, is in its lack of any funding for precision agriculture technology adoption.

Action on biofuels

The Advanced Biofuels Canada Association applauded the budget for its action on biofuels, which included $327 million over two years to a Biofuels Production Incentive.

“Canada’s biomass-based diesel producers – and feedstock suppliers – need predictable, stable demand and fiscal conditions to counter market barriers from tariff and non-tariff trade barriers,” the group’s president Fred Ghatala said in a news release.

“With smart, targeted support for domestic producers, Canada can keep biorefineries operating, and build resilient demand for Canadian feedstocks, such as canola.”

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture called the budget a “missed opportunity” for some of the sector’s most pressing challenges, including labour disruptions, farmland protection and modernization of the Canadian Grains Act.

Currie said he would also like to see a national agriculture impact assessment program, which could fit into the broader red tape reduction strategy.

“We need to keep having those conversations,” Currie said. “While we’re disappointed some of the things we were asking for weren’t announced in the budget, it doesn’t mean that the conversations aren’t continuing to happen and that those things won’t happen in the future.”

“There’ll be another budget in the spring. So perhaps we can look forward to something down the road in that regard.”

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This is needed to secure trade, protect economic growth “and maintain Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier of essential products to the world,” it said.

The government’s list of projects of national significance is “incomplete without the inclusion of urgent upgrades required at the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port and the country’s most critical trade chokepoint,” the organization said.

Connecting Canada with the Indo-Pacific region, the Port of Vancouver is essential to Canada’s economic growth and prosperity, GGC said. It noted that more than 50 per cent of the grain grown in Canada is exported through the port, accounting for $35 million in daily exports of grain and grain products.

The Major Projects Office (MPO) was announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney in August. The first series of projects being referred to the office for consideration was announced on Sept. 11.

Those projects include:

• LNG Canada Phase 2, in Kitimat, B.C., which will double LNG Canada’s production of liquefied natural gas.
• Darlington New Nuclear Project, in Bowmanville, Ont., which will make Canada the first G7 country to have an operational small modular reactor (SMR).
• Contrecœur Terminal Container Project, in Contrecœur, Qué., which will expand the Port of Montréal’s capacity by approximately 60 per cent.
• McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project, in Saskatchewan, which will supply copper and zinc to strengthen Canada’s position as a global supplier of critical minerals for clean energy, advanced manufacturing and modern infrastructure.
• Red Chris Mine expansion, in northern B.C., which will extend the lifespan of the mine by over a decade, increase Canada’s annual copper production by over 15 per cent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 70 per cent when operational.

“The MPO will work to fast-track nation-building projects by streamlining regulatory assessment and approvals and helping to structure financing, in close partnership with provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, and private investors,” said the Prime Minister’s office in a news release.

“Canada’s new government is focused on delivering major projects to connect our communities, empower Canadian workers, and build Canada’s strength,” Carney said in the government release.

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She earned 9,362 votes, more than tripling her closest competitor, Bev Toews of the NDP, at 3,063. Republican Party of Alberta candidate Cam Davies, who had resigned his membership with the United Conservative Party, finished in third with 2,708 votes.

Sawyer replaces UCP MLA Nathan Cooper, who resigned to become Alberta’s senior representative in Washington, D.C. Cooper had served as the MLA for the region for a decade.

Sawyer, a wheat, barley and canola farmer from Acme, was elected as Alberta Grains’ inaugural chair in 2023 after the amalgamation of the Alberta Wheat Commission and Alberta Barley. She took a leave of absence from her position to campaign for the MLA position in mid-May.

Sawyer also held the distinction of becoming the first woman to hold the position of chair of the Grain Growers of Canada when she was elected to the executive of the national organization in December of 2024. She stepped down from that role earlier this year to pursue her political campaign.

The other two byelections within Alberta were won by NDP candidates in the ridings of Edmonton-Ellerslie and Edmonton-Strathcona.

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The Grain Growers of Canada is now urging the Canadian government to take immediate action to eliminate the tariffs, highlighting the potential for widespread market instability, increased financial burdens on Canadian crop producers and increased food costs for American consumers.

The newly implemented tariffs threaten a vital trade relationship, with Canada exporting more than $17 billion worth of grain and grain products to the U.S. annually.

Kyle Larkin, executive director of GGC, expressed deep concern.

“Tariffs of this magnitude will put family-run grain farms at risk by introducing widespread market uncertainty,” he said.

Canada, which exports more than 70 per cent of its grain production globally, relies heavily on international markets. The tariffs are expected to drive down farmgate prices for key crops such as wheat, canola, oats, barley, and pulses, making it increasingly difficult for farmers to remain financially viable.

“As price takers, grain farmers are at the whim of the global markets that we export to,” said Tara Sawyer, chair of GGC and an Alberta grain farmer.

“Margins are already razor thin, and an added financial burden like this could put the future of many family farms in jeopardy.”

Added Larkin: “Canadian family run grain farms are already facing death by a thousand cuts through increased input costs, regulatory burdens and taxation.…

“Uncertainty with our largest trading partner for grain and grain products, on top of ongoing instability with our second-largest trading partner, China, could push many family farms to the brink.”

GGC argues that the tariffs will negatively impact American consumers.

“A 25 per cent tariff on Canadian grain and grain products is in effect a 25 per cent tax on American consumers who purchase groceries every day,” said Larkin.

He predicted price increases for a range of everyday products, including bread, pasta, beer, oatmeal and canola oil, which will exacerbate the current affordability crisis.

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