October 16, 2026 – Today is World Food Day, a date founded by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and celebrated around the world since 1945. The theme of this year’s World Food Day is “Innovate today, nourish tomorrow.” In Canada, it brings to mind the question of food sovereignty. Today, we find ourselves in the grips of an escalating trade war with our neighbour to the south, everyday people struggle with the rising cost of food, and Canadian farmers continue to deal with the burdens of rising fertilizer and diesel costs, as well as the existential threat of climate change.
Rather than celebrating agricultural innovation, the Canadian government is hampering it. This year, the Carney government stubbornly went ahead with the closure of seven agricultural research centres, despite a unanimous parliamentary report urging them not to. We continue to see the government making big deals with private AI, oil and gas companies while the average Canadian must decide between paying rent or buying a package of ground beef for their family.
While the federal government turns its back on agricultural science and innovation, food safety experts and inspectors continue to raise the alarm about cuts to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). In the wake of Trump’s massive cuts to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA, Carney’s significant budget cuts to the CFIA are weakening our shield against pathogens, allergens, and elevated quantities of pesticides in our food.
Rather than “Innovate today, nourish tomorrow,” those of us who work in agricultural research and food inspection know that Carney’s cuts today mean unsafe food tomorrow. We invite the federal government to take a moment to reflect on World Food Day on how cuts to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the CFIA could harm Canadians, and to make things right. Stop the cuts. Put food safety first.