Good afternoon. Thank you, Minister MacDonald, for the introduction.

It’s great to be back in Etobicoke.

For over 70 years, the Ontario Food Terminal has been at the heart of the food chain in Ontario.

Nicknamed “the stock exchange,” this terminal connects 5,000 buyers and sellers to farms and retailers across Ontario.

It’s the largest food terminal in Canada, and the fourth largest in North America – moving more than 2 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables every year.

This terminal – and others like it – will play increasingly important roles in building a stronger and more resilient Canada. Because the ability to move food efficiently and affordably is not just an economic advantage – it is a strategic necessity.

The world is rapidly changing.

Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are reshaping energy, security, and food supply chains.

At the same time, global trade is being rewired.

Technological change is accelerating, climate change is worsening, and public dollars are becoming even more scarce.

As Canadians, we have taken some key lessons over the past 18 months.

First, that we have to take care of each other.

That’s why this government cut taxes on income, housing, and investment.

We made the National School Food Program permanent and launched a new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit for more than 12 million Canadians. And we are managing the nation’s finances so that we can reinforce vital social programs from health care to child care, dental care, and pharmacare.

Second, Canadians have learned that we can give ourselves far more than others could ever take away.

To that end, we’re building a stronger, more independent, more resilient Canadian economy.

Through our new artificial intelligence (AI) strategy – AI for All – we are building the data centres that will reinforce our digital sovereignty.

Through our Defence Industrial Strategy, we are prioritising Canadian suppliers and materials to rebuild the Canadian Armed Forces and reduce our reliance on foreign suppliers.

Through the Major Projects Office and our Electricity Strategy, we are strengthening Canada’s domestic energy supply so we are less vulnerable to volatile global markets.

We are building our strength at home – moving from reliance to resilience – because a country that can't feed itself, fuel itself, or defend itself is not truly sovereign.

It’s vulnerable to global shocks, supply chain disruptions, and tariffs.

To protect our sovereignty and take control of our future, we must take control of our food system.

Canada starts from a position of strength.

One in nine people wake up every day and go to work in this country because of our strong agri-food sector.

We are one of the world’s largest exporters of agri-food products, with our farmers, ranchers, and producers selling $100 billion worth of exports every year.

We are the largest producer of canola in the world, accounting for nearly a quarter of global supply. As a testament to our remarkable Canadian farmers across the country – including in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba – farmers are already benefitting from our landmark trade arrangement with China, which lowered tariffs on Canadian canola earlier this year.

We are among the world’s top wheat exporters, and we account for roughly 40% of global lentil exports.

We are an agricultural superpower. Yet, for most Canadians, it doesn’t feel like that at the checkout counter.

Grocery prices have gone up by nearly 35% since 2019. Today, the average Canadian family spends roughly $10,000 a year on groceries – more than $800 a month.

There are multiple reasons for this.

While Canadian farmers, ranchers, and producers are producing an enormous amount of food, we are relying on other countries to process a lot of it.

At the same time, our growing seasons are too short to keep up with year-round demand.

And we’re still reliant on other countries for essential foods: nearly 90% of our fresh fruit and nuts are imported, and more than 70% of our vegetables.

This overreliance on foreign markets means that every global shock – every foreign conflict, drought, or tariff – shows up directly at grocery stores across Canada.

And 75% of those grocery stores are the same five large retailers.

They dominate supply chains – leaving independent grocers with fewer options and higher costs. Too often, they must buy products through larger competitors at marked-up prices – costs that are ultimately passed on to Canadian consumers. And our farmers don’t have enough wholesale buyers competing for their products.

The result is that, despite Canada’s vast agricultural strength, Canadians continue to face higher grocery costs than we should.

Canada needs a new strategy. A strategy that will give Canadians more choice. More control. A strategy that will strengthen Canada’s position.

One that breaks open the market for independent retailers and spurs more grocery stores to compete for the business of Canadian families by offering better quality products at lower prices.

A strategy that makes it easier to grow, process, and sell more food right here at home and reduce our reliance on other countries.

Today, I am pleased to announce that Canada is launching our first National Food Security Strategy.

This more than $3 billion strategy will tackle the problems in our food system through targeted measures and investments to help create a more affordable, sustainable, and resilient food supply chain in Canada.

Our strategy has four objectives.

First, to increase grocery store competition and create more choice for Canadians.

Second, to process more food in Canada.

Third, to grow more fruits and vegetables all-year-round.

And, finally, Canada’s new National Food Security Strategy will lower prices by removing expensive regulatory barriers so farmers and producers can put more Canadian food on more shelves more easily.

Within four years, our strategy targets increasing the number of independent grocers buying from food terminals or hubs by 15% and boosting local food sales from small and mid-sized producers by 25%.

With our strategy, the government will first create more choice and competition in Canada.

We will provide $1 billion over ten years to establish a new 10-year Food-Link Fund.

Starting here at the Ontario Food Terminal, this fund will expand existing food terminals and start construction on two new ones by the end of 2028. We will also create up to 40 new commercial food hubs across the country – bringing food closer to market, lowering distribution costs, and helping Canadians save at the checkout.

We’re going to make sure there is more competition in the sector. We are giving the Competition Bureau and Tribunal more resources to identify, prevent, and combat unfair business practices.

And we will crack down on surveillance pricing – amending privacy legislation to protect consumer data so companies can no longer use it to charge you higher prices.

Second, we will boost domestic food production across Canada.

For decades, we’ve been paying other countries to convert what we already have into what we need.

Let’s use Thailand as one example: around 70% of what we ship there – our wheat, soybeans, and peas – is processed abroad and then re-exported into global markets. In effect, we are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to send our food elsewhere for processing that could be done at home.

To help Canadian businesses grow, produce, and process more food in Canada, we will launch a new $1 billion fund through Farm Credit Canada.

We will also establish a $150 million Food Security Fund to support small and medium-sized businesses in upgrading critical equipment so they can make more, store more, and bring more Canadian food to market.

And we will create a $100 million Collaborative Food Innovation Fund to help producers expand processing so more parts of each crop are used.

Canada has the talent and the resources. Now we’re building the capacity.

Third, Canada will grow more produce all year-round.

We will invest $750 million in greenhouses and hydroponics to dramatically expand Canada’s capacity to produce fresh fruits and vegetables year-round.

This includes a $100 million investment to help northern and rural communities produce more food locally via small-scale indoor farms and reduce their dependence on costly shipments from thousands of kilometres away.

Finally, Canada’s new National Food Security Strategy will lower your food prices by cutting red tape across the agricultural supply chain.

Right now, farmers and producers often wait years for approvals for the pesticides, fertilizers, and seeds they need to grow and produce food efficiently.

To build the food system Canadians deserve, we need to get out of our own way.

We will modernise key regulations so that food security and affordability are considered alongside safety, we will speed up approvals for seeds, feed, fertilizers, and veterinary products, and reduce backlogs that slow down the system.

With our approach, we will clear Canadian Food Inspection Agency and pesticide approval backlogs by the end of 2026, making decisions faster and more predictable.

This strategy aims to transform our food systems with big structural changes backed by massive investments.

And some of the biggest payoffs will take time. So we’re giving Canadians a boost today and a bridge to tomorrow.

We temporarily suspended the federal fuel excise tax to save you up to 10 cents a litre until Labour Day, we cut taxes for 22 million middle-class Canadians, and with the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, 12 million Canadians got their first cheques last week – that’s up to $533 for a family of four.

A country’s sovereignty depends on its ability to feed itself, fuel itself, and defend itself. And right now, Canada is not fully in control of our own food system.

Our overreliance on foreign suppliers has left us vulnerable to global shocks – to conflicts overseas, to droughts, and to tariffs.

This strategy is about changing that.

It is about putting Canadians back in control of what we grow, of what we buy, and of what we put on our tables.

We are creating more opportunity for farmers. More competition for grocers. And more choice for Canadian families.

We are growing more at home, processing more at home, and feeding more Canadians with Canadian food.

And we are building a Canada that is not just strong, but good.

Not just prosperous, but fair and affordable.

A Canada that doesn’t work for some, most of the time. But all Canadians, all of the time.

Our new National Food Security Strategy will create a strong, stable food system in Canada – from the farm to the grocery store, all the way to the dinner table.

Thank you.