Ottawa-The final approval of a bill to bring about the implementation of various actions announced in the government’s spring economic update is being praised by the Wheat Growers Association.

WGA President Gunter Jochum said the bill enables Canada’s regulatory system protect health and the environment while encouraging investment, innovation and growth.

The passage of Bill C-30 is an encouraging sign. “No, it doesn't solve every problem. But it does represent an important shift in thinking.”

The bill directs regulators to consider food security, affordability and competitiveness alongside their traditional mandates of protecting human health and food safety.

“Canada is acknowledging something farmers have always known: economic outcomes matter. This isn’t about lowering standards. It's about creating a system that is science-based, predictable, and competitive. A system that gives farmers access to innovation and gives businesses confidence to invest here at home.”

The WGA has pushed for this kind of thinking for years because agriculture is a long game, Jochum said. “The decisions we make today - on regulation, trade, infrastructure, and investment - will determine whether Canada leads or follows in the decades ahead.”

“That's why Bill C-30 should be viewed as a beginning, not an end.”

The bill moves Canada toward a regulatory system that is rigorous, timely and ready to compete. “For the first time in a long time, it feels like the conversation is moving in the right direction.”

“Let's make sure this is remembered as the moment Canada decided not just to regulate the future, but to lead it.”

The next step in advancing the farm sector is getting Bill C-273, the FARM Act, passed to help Canadian farmers gain faster access to innovations already approved in trusted jurisdictions, he said.

The bill, introduced by Alberta Conservative MP David Bexte in April but not yet debated, has been welcomed by some farm groups.

The Facilitating Agricultural Regulatory Modernization Act (FARM Act) would be a critical first step in fixing Canada’s outdated and overly burdensome agricultural approval system that has held farmers back for far too long, Bexte said.

“Right now, Canadian farmers are stuck waiting years or often never gaining access for products already proven safe and widely used in the U.S., the European Union, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.”

“That’s not common sense. It’s red tape, plain and simple, and it’s been holding Canadian agriculture back for far too long. Enough is enough. This bill is the first step toward ending this unfair disadvantage.”

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Grain Growers of Canada, Seeds Canada, the Canadian Cattle Association and Fertilizer Canada have all welcomed the bill.

This news report prepared for National Newswatch