The Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec announced the launch of the Programme Innov’Action agroalimentaire, which will run until 2023. This agri-food innovation program stems from the Canada–Quebec Agreement on implementation of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The budget allocated to the program for the 2018–2023 period is $35.2 million, which will be provided by the federal government and the Quebec government.
Jean-Claude Poissant, Parliamentary Secretary to the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, and Laurent Lessard, Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, made the announcement. They pointed out that the goal of the program is to develop new knowledge and promote the transfer of that knowledge by supporting research and innovation activities in order to make Quebec’s agricultural production and food processing sectors more competitive, with a view to sustainable development. They also emphasized that innovation helps create jobs and contributes to dynamic land use.
With this in mind, the Programme Innov’Action agroalimentaire supports the implementation of the “Feeding Our World” direction of Quebec’s 2018–2025 bio-food policy with the aim of consolidating and strengthening research and innovation in Quebec’s agri-food sector. The program thus meets one of the objectives of the bio-food policy: investing in innovation and strengthening synergies.
Jean-Claude Poissant, Parliamentary Secretary to the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said, “To compete and stand out in local and international markets, producers and processors in the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector must be on the leading edge. Our government is proud to support collaboration among agri-food businesses, research centres and producer organizations in Quebec as they seek innovative solutions that will grow the sector and stimulate the creation of good jobs for Quebec families. It is thanks to programs like this one that Canada’s agriculture industry is one of the most innovative in the world and that the quality of our products is recognized internationally.”
Laurent Lessard, Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food said, “Innovation promotes the development and adoption of effective practices to enable businesses to remain competitive and harness new markets. In launching this program, the Government of Quebec recognizes the role of research and innovation as drivers of development in the agri-food sector. By supporting research and innovation projects in partnership with the industry, the Department intends to fully leverage government assistance and improve knowledge transfer in businesses. This approach will also make it possible to retain and train qualified personnel and the next generation of scientists for businesses and research institutions.”
Source: https://www.canada.ca/
