APAS calls for ag policy framework to drive economic growth

REGINA – The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan is calling for the federal government's Next Agricultural Policy Framework to be treated as a nation-building strategy that drives economic growth and strengthens the competitiveness of Canadian agriculture.

APAS has already raised the position in consultations with the Government of Saskatchewan, arguing for a coordinated strategy that uses agriculture as a pivotal economic sector.

"This isn't about incremental change. This is about recognizing agriculture as a nation-building industry and creating a framework that reflects that reality," said APAS president Bill Prybylski. He shared the view with federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald during a recent consultation in Regina.

APAS president Bill Prybylski.

The next policy statement will replace the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership when it expires March 31, 2028, and will set the direction for the country's agriculture sector. APAS wants a shift away from a compliance-focused approach toward a purpose-driven strategy built on long-term growth and competitiveness.

"The decisions made through the Next Policy Framework will shape the future of agriculture in Canada," Prybylski said. "The framework must recognize agriculture's vital contribution to our nation's prosperity and its role as a key driver of the Canadian economy."

APAS has identified six priority areas for the framework:

1. Economic growth and competitiveness

2. Innovation, technology and business resilience

3. Supply chain efficiency, trade and market diversification

4. Climate adaptation, water and soil resiliency

5. Value-added processing and red tape reduction

6. Farm transition

APAS is also calling for farm transition to be a central pillar of the framework, describing effective policy support in that area as crucial to the sector's sustainability and growth.

"Farm transition isn't just a family succession planning issue. It's a national economic issue," Prybylski said. "If we want a competitive and growing sector, we need policies that remove tax disincentives and support effective transition planning and access to capital for the next generation."

With discussions expected at this summer's federal-provincial-territorial meeting in Halifax, APAS wants governments to weigh agriculture's broader role in the national economy.

The association also supports naming the ministers' statement the "Statement on the Economic Capacity of Canadian Agriculture."

For more information, contact APAS Communications at communications@apas.ca.