Minister MacAulay attends Seafood Expo North America in Boston to promote Canadian Seafood

OTTAWA, ON, March 12, 2024 /CNW/ – Building on a successful mission to Southeast Asia where he officially opened Canada’s first-ever trade office for agriculture and seafood in the Indo-Pacific region, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, travelled to Boston, Massachusetts this week to attend Seafood Expo North America, the largest seafood trade exposition in North America.

In Boston, Minister MacAulay was joined by his federal colleagues, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and representatives from a number of provincial governments including several premiers and provincial ministers of agriculture and fisheries.

During the expo, Minister MacAulay, along with Ministers Lebouthillier and Hutchings, opened the Canada Pavilion which featured Canadian businesses and promoted Canadian fish and seafood products. This year, the Pavilion was hosted by the Government of New Brunswick.

Minister MacAulay took the opportunity to visit the exhibitors and connect with Canadian businesses to show support for fish and seafood harvesters and exporters. During the visit, the Minister highlighted new federal funding of over $2.8 million for eight projects under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriMarketing program to help promote and expand markets for Canadian fish and seafood.

As part of his visit, the Minister travelled to Quincy, Massachusetts to meet with representatives from the Bay State Milling Company, a 125-year old company with operations in the U.S. that recently expanded to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to discuss ways of enhancing ties and expanding business within Canada and to promote sustainable and innovative agriculture. The Bay State Milling’s Saskatoon facility produces approximately 65,000 metric tons of identity preserved, gluten-free oats annually, over 60 per cent of which are exported to the U.S..

The connections made during Minister MacAulay’s visit will help strengthen trade ties between Canada and the United States, which will drive economic growth and deliver more opportunities for fish and seafood harvesters, as well as agriculture and agri-food producers on both sides of the border.

“Our trading relationships are so vitally important and it was great to attend Seafood Expo North America to connect with our North American and other international partners to showcase our high-quality, sustainable fish and seafood. Canada’s seafood sector supports countless small, coastal communities, including at home on Prince Edward Island, and I will continue working to create more opportunities for our hard-working fishers and exporters.” 

–       The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Canada is the second largest agricultural customer of the United States – and the number one agriculture export market for over half of U.S. states.Canada and the United States are important trade partners for agri-food and seafood, with bilateral trade in these areas reaching $97 billion (CAD) in 2023.In 2023, Canada exported $4.88 billion (CAD) in fish and seafood products to the United States.Canadian companies employ almost 900,000 workers in the United States and nearly 8 million U.S. jobs are tied to trade with Canada.Canada Brand helps global consumers recognize Canadian food and beverage products and showcases the diverse range of products from our varied landscape from coast to coast to coast.The AgriMarketing Program is a $129.97 million program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The program helps grow the economy by increasing and diversifying Canadian exports of agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products, including fish and seafood, by increasing the visibility of Canadian products and increasing the capacity of exporting producers to identify and seize market development opportunities in targeted markets.

Canada-United States Bilateral Agricultural and Agri-food TradeAgriculture and Food Market Intelligence – United StatesCUSMACanada BrandNews Release – Minister MacAulay promotes Canada’s world-class products in Malaysia and the PhilippinesNews Release – Minister MacAulay opens Canada’s first-ever Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food OfficeAgriMarketing Program

AgriMarketing funding for seafood and fish sector

The Government of Canada announced over $2.83 million in funding for eight projects under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriMarketing Program. Work on these projects started in 2023 and will run for three fiscal years until 2026. These projects are designed to facilitate the promotion and expansion of markets for Canadian seafood and fish.

The AgriMarketing Program is a $129.97 million Program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership that supports national agricultural sectors to increase and diversify exports to international markets and seize domestic market opportunities.

The eight AgriMarketing projects announced today are:

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