Minister Bibeau holds First Bilateral Discussion with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack

OTTAWA, ON, March 2, 2021 /CNW/ - Today the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, held her first official bilateral dialogue with the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, in which they reinforced the strength of the Canada-U.S. agricultural trade relationship.

Minister Bibeau emphasized the need to work collaboratively on many mutual priorities with a focus on the resiliency of Canada-U.S. food supply chains, climate change and environmental sustainability.

Minister Bibeau and Secretary Vilsack also discussed their mutual interest in championing rules- and science-based international trade. Both parties agreed that working together to address these priorities is critical for agriculture to take a leading role in a sustainable recovery that is inclusive, protects workers and supports jobs and businesses on both sides of our border.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how critical Canada-U.S. agricultural supply chains are to food security and to our two economies. By continuing to work together to strengthen and maintain integrated agricultural supply chains throughout the pandemic, we can ensure producers on both sides of the border are finding markets for their quality products, and consumers are getting food at affordable prices.

Quote

"Today, I congratulated Secretary Vilsack on his confirmation, and we discussed the need for collaboration to address key challenges facing our agriculture sectors. Secretary Vilsack and I share many priorities and we committed to supporting each other's efforts to build a sustainable agricultural sector that strengthens our rural economies, and feeds our people at home and abroad."
-       The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Quick Facts

• Canada and the U.S. have highly integrated and mutually beneficial supply chains.
• In 2020, Canada-U.S. bilateral agricultural trade totaled $62.3 billion.
• On July 1, 2020, the new Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) entered into force. The new Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement will serve to reinforce Canada's strong economic ties with the United States and Mexico.

Associated links

• Canada - United States Bilateral Trade
• CUSMA
• Prime Minister welcomes plan to revitalize and expand ties with the United States

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada