A southern Alberta member of Parliament said proposed legislation known as the “Farm Act” aims to improve Canadian farmers’ global competitiveness by accelerating access to agricultural products already available in other countries.
Foothills MP and Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow said producers in southern Alberta and across Canada face a disadvantage because regulatory approvals for products such as crop protection tools, fertilizers and veterinary medicines can take years.
“Farmers and ranchers are lagging behind in competitiveness because they can’t access so many of the critical tools their competitors can,” Barlow said. “Whether that’s the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, [or] other jurisdictions that have access to these products, and the main reason is many of these manufacturers and innovators [and] entrepreneurs don’t see Canada as a viable market.”
Barlow said approvals in Canada can take four years or more, discouraging companies from introducing new technologies into the domestic market.
Barlow said the proposed Conservative bill, tabled by Conservative MP for Bow River David Bexte, would allow provisional approval of products already vetted in trusted jurisdictions while Canadian regulators continue their own reviews at the same time. He added the approach would preserve scientific oversight while cutting down on duplicated assessments.
“This allows us to circumnavigate that bureaucracy a bit and get these products available in Canada much quicker.”
The proposal comes amid ongoing concerns about the supply and cost of key inputs such as fertilizer, an issue Barlow said could be addressed by allowing more suppliers into the Canadian market.
“This is a means of opening up our market to additional competition,” he said, adding current regulatory systems are ‘not responsive and unaccountable’.”
He argued that Canada falls behind many OECD countries in approval timelines and regulatory burden, affecting farmers’ ability to remain economically viable.
Barlow cited Canadian companies such as Vive Crop Protection, which has more products approved in the U.S. than in Canada, and Solvet Veterinary Pharmaceuticals as examples of firms encountering barriers in the domestic system.
The legislation could also expand pest-control options, including alternatives for managing gopher populations instead of strychnine.
Under the proposal, Canadian agencies would be required to factor in existing scientific reviews from trusted partners rather than repeating the full approval process.
“We have partnerships with these countries. We work together,” Barlow said. “Why are we just repeating all of these steps rather than getting these products in the hands of farmers who need them?”
The Conservative shadow minister also linked the bill to broader trade uncertainty, including upcoming negotiations between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. He said Canadian producers need stronger footing.
“This gives them at least a leg to where our competitors already are,” he said, adding regulatory decisions should account for economic impacts in a sector where most production is exported.
The federal government has not yet indicated whether it will support the proposed legislation.
