The B.C. government is launching a task force to grow the province’s agriculture and food processing sectors by increasing the production and competitiveness of locally made products in the face of U.S. tariff uncertainty.
Premier David Eby described the initiative as a way to ensure people in British Columbia have access to healthy and affordable food, no matter what happens with U.S. tariffs or in the event of a trade war.
“All British Columbians want reliable access to healthy and affordable food,” Eby said in a Feb. 20 press release. “We must protect our food sources and our agricultural sector in the face of the threat of unfair and damaging tariffs.”
Formation of the new task force comes as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to slap 25 percent tariffs on goods imported from Canada as early as next month if he is not satisfied with Canada’s progress on dealing with cross-border fentanyl trafficking.
Trump has also announced his plan to impose 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to the United States, effective March 12, and is considering the introduction of a wide range of new tariffs in April against a number of countries, including Canada.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Lana Popham said one way to address U.S. tariff threats is to support the province’s food sector and focus on putting made-in-B.C. products on store shelves.
That’s what the premier’s new task force aims to progress, she said at a Feb. 20 press conference.
“This will be a real and targeted process leading to action that helps the sector be profitable and competitive,” Popham said. “Our goal is to build and grow stronger, more resilient and secure B.C. agriculture and food systems, ultimately improving food supply and food security for all of British Columbians, while also building stable markets globally.”
Popham said the task force will include 15 stakeholders from various sectors of the food supply chain. Aside from the primary focus of growing provincial food production, the group will also provide the government with recommendations on other issues including access to water, land, labour, competitiveness, and investment.
B.C. Agriculture Council executive director Danielle Synotte and BC Food & Beverage CEO James Donaldson will co-chair the task force along with Agriculture and Food Deputy Minister Michelle Koski.
Synotte said the current long-term viability of farming in B.C. faces several challenges that need to be addressed by the task force.
“If the economic growth potential of the sector is to be realized, we need to re-evaluate the way we see and value agriculture,” she said, calling the task force “an opportunity to build a shared vision for the sector that involves innovative ideas and a shift in perspective, focusing on solutions.”
The group is set to meet virtually next week and will meet in person on a quarterly basis over the next 12 to 18 months. Popham said the task force is expected to deliver its first set of recommendations within the next 10 months.
