Ottawa-The Temporary Foreign Worker Program has become vital to the farm, seafood, food processing and many other sectors since it was launched in 1973, says Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald.

Its importance was also raised by government representatives during his recent visit to Mexico, MacDonald told the Commons agriculture committee.

“It's not just about our country; it's about their country as well. We need to recognize this when we're dealing with trying to access more trade and more export into those countries,” he said.

“It's an extremely important tool for rural Canada right across the country. It doesn't matter where you are or where you're from. I think deep down that it's not the right time to be using it as a political weapon. It's not the right tool to use as a political weapon, because there's not a community in this country, likely, that doesn't have foreign workers in it, who are being utilized because they have to be utilized.”

Changes may be needed to the program “but without it, we wouldn't export over $100 billion in products out of this country, point blank.”

Newfoundland Liberal MP Paul Connors said he raised the issue because of calls from the Conservatives to end the program. He also wanted to know what changes might be made to the federal - provincial agricultural policy framework.

MacDonald said that before any negotiations, he wants to hear from the agriculture sectors and farmers “to ensure we're doing everything possible within that policy framework that's going to help them. If it's a change to the BRM program, maybe we need to look at it. If it's a change to another program, maybe we need to look at it.

“My job is to basically facilitate and advocate on behalf of farmers and then make those decisions not just for economic value but for sustainability to ensure farmers are prosperous going forward for generations to come.”

Bloc Quebecois ag critic Yves Perron said that while “some countries dedicate an average of approximately 2 per cent of their budgets to agriculture, Canada commits less than 1 per cent of its budget to the sector.”

MacDonald said that agri-food accounts for 7 per cent of Canada’s GDP and the sector is key to advancing the country’s economic standing within the G7. “We can't do it without agriculture. I don't think it's lost on anybody at this point.”

What’s needed is “to streamline agriculture as best we can without losing any of the priorities for our farmers and ranchers.”

With the current Business Risk Management program set to expire in 2028, discussions with the provinces on renewing the program have been launched, he said. There is also some consideration being given to expediting that process.

“We want to make sure we don't do it in a way that will detract from the consultations with those groups. We want to make sure everybody has a fair say and every province has a fair say. There is a regional difference, but we need to take all aspects into consideration.”

Some of the best outlooks for the Canadian economy “are in agri-food and value-add, and we're starting to see that across the country, which is going to help everybody because it's an ecosystem, a feeder system,” MacDonald said.

“We'll continue to invest in that, but we're also looking at private investment. We've also seen what FCC has done with their $2-billion investment fund, taking an equity share in a company in British Columbia, which has never been done before.”

This news report prepared for National Newswatch