Recommendation 1

The Committee recommends that the government promote and defend rules and science-based trade on the international stage.

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that the government work closely with industry to identify and address the potential impacts of non-tariff barriers such as inconsistent maximum residue limits (MRLs) and low level presence (LLP) policies among trading partners, delays or asynchronous biotechnology approvals, and scientifically unjustified, over-regulatory measures taken by Canada’s trading partners.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that the government work with its international partners toward a more efficient dispute resolution body under the World Trade Organization, while simultaneously prioritizing rules-based dispute resolution mechanisms in current and future trade agreements.

Recommendation 4

The Committee recommends that the CFIA take steps to improve the issuance of phytosanitary certificates in order to adequately meet the needs of Canadian agricultural exporters and to simplify the associated processes and procedures.

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that the CFIA have adequate resources to ensure the timely and efficient technical measures such as pre‑shipment inspections, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and that the government continue to work toward aligning these measures with our trading partners.

Recommendation 6. 12

The Committee recommends that the government establish a single dispute resolution body in Canada to ensure the adherence of fresh produce sellers to a unified set of trading rules and to mitigate slow, partial and/or non-payment by solvent buyers.

Recommendation 7

The Committee recommends that the government continue to provide market access support agencies with sufficient human and financial resources to maintain and grow the sector’s export capacity.

Recommendation 8

The Committee recommends that the government maintain or increase the number of Agriculture and Food Trade Commissioners in Canada’s embassies and consulates, ensuring that an agriculture and CFIA presence remains in our priority markets abroad.

Recommendation 9

The Committee recommends that the government encourage the Agri‑Food Economic Strategy Table, among other entities, to examine options to accelerate growth in the Canadian agriculture sector, including topics such as international market access, addressing non-tariff barriers, lowering domestic red tape and studying domestic policies that inhibit the sector’s ability to innovate, expand  and succeed.

Recommendation 10

The Committee recommends that the government set out regulatory requirements at the start of trade negotiations to prevent non-tariff barriers from appearing after trade agreements are signed.

Recommendation 11

The Committee recommends that the government support the work of international standardizing bodies such as the Codex Alimentarius, the international Plant Protection Convention for phytosanitary risks, and the World Organisation for Animal Health in developing science-based global standards, and encourage Canada’s trading partners to recognize and abide by these global standards.

Recommendation 12

The Committee recommends that the government establish a national committee to analyze and monitor the non-tariff barriers that exist in order to identify them and thus facilitate the negotiations leading to the elimination of these barriers.