A couple of weeks ago millions of Canadians tuned into CBC to celebrate the life’s work of Canadian legend Gord Downie as his band, the Tragically Hip, performed what is likely to be its final performance. Although the ailing Downie was clearly the focus of the event, to some extent it was also about us – Canadians celebrating their pride in our relationship with this man who, through his songs, told uniquely Canadian stories about our history, our hopes and fears, and our feeling of place in the world. Between the concert and the concurrent Olympics, it was a chance for Canadians to wear their pride on their sleeves – a true Canadian moment.
If by nothing else but our small numbers, Canada produces relatively few artists and athletes compared to the United States, but we take tremendous pride in those few that succeed on the world stage (or, in the Hip’s case, not on the world stage, but as legends in their home country). By contrast, Canada produces a disproportionate amount of agri-food product and does a pretty good job of marketing it to the world. While we definitely take pride in Alberta beef and PEI potatoes, there’s a question implicit in a recent report that asks: is it enough? Pride is a starting point, but from that can we develop a philosophy that anchors our actions throughout the value chain? What is our calling card?
According to the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), that marker of pride should be “trust.” Reaching this conclusion at the Forum on Canada’s Agri-Food Future in November 2015, the agricultural think-tank has released a paper called “Achieving what’s possible for Canada’s agri-food sector.”
Why would there be trust lacking in our international trade relationships, you might ask – and quite rightly. The report itself commends Canada on its innovative food safety programs and supply chains working towards improving food safety and sourcing practices. For the on-the-ground producer, kudos is extended for the widespread adoption of zero-till and the commercial development of canola.
Perhaps it’s not so much that there’s a lack of trust but we just haven’t done the greatest job of leveraging it at home and around the world. This may stem from an overarching challenge that threatens to obscure the Canadian agricultural industry’s achievements no matter what new economically- and socially-conscious projects it takes on: our modesty. From the report:
The degree to which Canada leads global practices elicited blunt assessments. Canada cannot be a leader because it must abide by rules set elsewhere, notably in the U.S., and must do nothing to upset this reality [McCain]. Others encouraged Canada to take a bigger role, but the country seems to be holding itself back. Many see Canada as having resources and a strong national brand but a commodity mindset. Canada is also suffering from a lack of decision-making authorities. It has a “decreasing number of globally relevant agriculture and food businesses,” has “no world class agricultural universities” and lacks “urgency, commitment and investment” [Goedde]. As a result, “Canada is a laggard — meeting the bar but not setting the pace” [Goedde]. Canada doesn’t “talk enough about winning” [Lang]. Indeed, agri-food sector leaders seem to do little to tell a compelling, common story (“not one single voice”) about the sector’s importance to Canada [Lang]. This prevents the sector from leveraging its position or focusing governments’ attention on needed policy changes to remain competitive [Lang]. Getting macro-economic factors right and “policy coherence” are critical to improving innovation and attracting investment [Moreddu]. The only way to know if we are winning is to have good metrics in hand [Moreddu].
In short, Canada tends to be a “rule taker” versus a “rule maker” that fails to play up its significant achievements. However, doing so is crucial if we want to make trust our guiding principle. “If we want consumers’ trust, we need to credibly demonstrate the care being taken to enhance food safety, improve food nutrition, address animal care, contribute to the planet’s health and satisfy other expectations,” says the report.
The report adds that the industry needs to leverage its reputation for responsible management of natural capital to drive more supportive public policy and shape the standards and rules that guide agri-food trade around the world. Ultimately, it will be the consumer who will transfer the status of most trusted system in the world based on the industry’s actions.
A number of people will argue that the industry is already up to its neck in these kinds of endeavours, and they’re not wrong. Perhaps there’s just that small ingredient missing – that lightning-in-a-bottle effect Canada gets from events such as the Olympics or the Hip’s final concert. Can we apply that same gusto to the food industry?
If by nothing else but our small numbers, Canada produces relatively few artists and athletes compared to the United States, but we take tremendous pride in those few that succeed on the world stage (or, in the Hip’s case, not on the world stage, but as legends in their home country). By contrast, Canada produces a disproportionate amount of agri-food product and does a pretty good job of marketing it to the world. While we definitely take pride in Alberta beef and PEI potatoes, there’s a question implicit in a recent report that asks: is it enough? Pride is a starting point, but from that can we develop a philosophy that anchors our actions throughout the value chain? What is our calling card?
According to the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), that marker of pride should be “trust.” Reaching this conclusion at the Forum on Canada’s Agri-Food Future in November 2015, the agricultural think-tank has released a paper called “Achieving what’s possible for Canada’s agri-food sector.”
Why would there be trust lacking in our international trade relationships, you might ask – and quite rightly. The report itself commends Canada on its innovative food safety programs and supply chains working towards improving food safety and sourcing practices. For the on-the-ground producer, kudos is extended for the widespread adoption of zero-till and the commercial development of canola.
Perhaps it’s not so much that there’s a lack of trust but we just haven’t done the greatest job of leveraging it at home and around the world. This may stem from an overarching challenge that threatens to obscure the Canadian agricultural industry’s achievements no matter what new economically- and socially-conscious projects it takes on: our modesty. From the report:
The degree to which Canada leads global practices elicited blunt assessments. Canada cannot be a leader because it must abide by rules set elsewhere, notably in the U.S., and must do nothing to upset this reality [McCain]. Others encouraged Canada to take a bigger role, but the country seems to be holding itself back. Many see Canada as having resources and a strong national brand but a commodity mindset. Canada is also suffering from a lack of decision-making authorities. It has a “decreasing number of globally relevant agriculture and food businesses,” has “no world class agricultural universities” and lacks “urgency, commitment and investment” [Goedde]. As a result, “Canada is a laggard — meeting the bar but not setting the pace” [Goedde]. Canada doesn’t “talk enough about winning” [Lang]. Indeed, agri-food sector leaders seem to do little to tell a compelling, common story (“not one single voice”) about the sector’s importance to Canada [Lang]. This prevents the sector from leveraging its position or focusing governments’ attention on needed policy changes to remain competitive [Lang]. Getting macro-economic factors right and “policy coherence” are critical to improving innovation and attracting investment [Moreddu]. The only way to know if we are winning is to have good metrics in hand [Moreddu].
In short, Canada tends to be a “rule taker” versus a “rule maker” that fails to play up its significant achievements. However, doing so is crucial if we want to make trust our guiding principle. “If we want consumers’ trust, we need to credibly demonstrate the care being taken to enhance food safety, improve food nutrition, address animal care, contribute to the planet’s health and satisfy other expectations,” says the report.
The report adds that the industry needs to leverage its reputation for responsible management of natural capital to drive more supportive public policy and shape the standards and rules that guide agri-food trade around the world. Ultimately, it will be the consumer who will transfer the status of most trusted system in the world based on the industry’s actions.
A number of people will argue that the industry is already up to its neck in these kinds of endeavours, and they’re not wrong. Perhaps there’s just that small ingredient missing – that lightning-in-a-bottle effect Canada gets from events such as the Olympics or the Hip’s final concert. Can we apply that same gusto to the food industry?