Bonjour et merci aux membres du Comité de m'avoir invité aujourd'hui.

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L'Alliance canadienne du commerce agroalimentaire (ACCA) est une coalition d'organisations nationales qui milite en faveur d'un environnement commercial international plus libre et plus équitable pour le secteur agricole et agroalimentaire.

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Les membres de l’ACCA comprennent des agriculteurs, des éleveurs, des transformateurs, des producteurs et des exportateurs des principaux secteurs commerciaux tels que le bœuf, le porc, les céréales, les oléagineux, le sucre, les légumineuses et le soja.

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L'agroalimentaire représente 1 emploi sur 9 au Canada, et la majorité est dans le secteur agroalimentaire axé sur l'exportation. Le Canada exporte par année quelques 100 milliards de dollars de produits agricoles et alimentaires. Plus de la moitié de notre production agricole est exportée ou transformée pour être exportée.

Le secteur agroalimentaire canadien est particulièrement bien placé pour stimuler la prospérité économique et l'influence diplomatique sur la scène internationale.

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However, profound geopolitical shifts are rapidly reshaping the international trading landscape, creating uncertainty, and amplifying risks for Canadian agri-food exporters. Canada’s management of these shifts should avoid protectionist measures that weaken our credibility as supporters of the global rules-based trading order.

 

Canadian agriculture remains underleveraged in Canadian international diplomacy and trade policy. CAFTA is of the view that Canada requires a clear strategic framework for agri-food trade that strengthens and grows our agri-food exports and champions the global rules-based trading system. This strategy should shape all our trading relationships, from established to growing and potential markets.

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The Canadian government must explicitly prioritize agriculture as central to its diplomatic and economic strategies. Trade liberalizing agri-food trade objectives must be central to all trade negotiations and reviews. Protectionist measures, both domestically and internationally, should be rejected as they undermine the principles of free, fair, and open trade.

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As we prepare for the upcoming 2026 CUSMA Review, protectionist pressures threaten the trade provisions that underpin trilateral agri-food trade. To reinforce a rules-based North American market and avoid unintended negative impacts for Canadian agri-food, Canada must:

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1. Defend critical aspects of CUSMA for agri-food exporters, such as tariff-free trade, dispute settlement, TRQ and tariff preference levels, ambitious SPS measures and commitments, science-based decision making, and regulatory cooperation.

2. Guarantee robust and structured consultation with agri-food export interests through the CUSMA review as well as representation on relevant advisory bodies.

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Beyond CUSMA, CAFTA believes Canada requires a strengthened, proactive, and innovative market access infrastructure to meet 21st-century trade challenges. Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) have become the most important barrier in most markets as tariffs were largely eliminated through negotiation of agreements. NTBs often require deep engagement with the regulatory systems of potential markets to be resolved

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Il me fera plaisir de répondre à toutes vos questions.