A new suite of national agricultural programs is now available to the agriculture sector in the Northwest Territories.
Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz and Robert McLeod, minister of industry, tourism and investment, announced the details of new NWT agricultural programs under the Growing Forward framework today.
This announcement follows the signing of the Growing Forward bilateral and contribution agreements by the federal government and the Northwest Territories last month.
“All levels of government are expected to work together to drive Canadian agriculture and this agreement is making that happen,” said Ritz in a prepared media release.
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“Growing Forward delivers stable and bankable programs that work for the unique Northern agriculture industry. The agreement we signed in July marks the rollout of these essential programs in the Northwest Territories.”
McLeod says the Growing Forward agreement recognizes the importance of both the conventional and traditional food production sectors in the north.
“As the minister … whose mandate also includes agriculture, agri-foods and the traditional economy here in the Northwest Territories, I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to [the federal government] for acknowledging these realities,” McLeod says.
“By producing our own food here in the North we will diversify local economies, provide northerners with healthy, locally produced food choices and make a meaningful impact on cost of living.”
Growing Forward is a national agriculture framework to co-ordinate federal and provincial/territorial agriculture policy. Federal, provincial and territorial governments are delivering $1.3 billion for farm families over five years.
The agreement with the Northwest Territories will deliver $3.2 million for agriculture in the territory.
For a complete list of Growing Forward programs in the Northwest Territories, visit www.iti.gov.nt.ca/fursagriculturefisheries or www.agr.gc.ca/GrowingForward.
