Grainswest - Spring 2026

Spring 2026 Grains West 20 PERSON PLACE & THING “ Business risk management policies and programs are in the most urgent need of reform. The risk farmers face continues to increase. ” after he was appointed. For someone who cares about the sector, it was an amazing opportunity and an incredible experience. The minister wanted to change things and have an impact. I was involved in negotiating trade agreements with Europe and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and we worked on compensation for supply managed sectors. I often joke I was cursed in that my first job was probably the best job I’ll ever have. GW: What does CAPI offer the ag industry? TM: When I came to CAPI, the board of directors wanted to improve the relevan- cy and the impact of the organization. We have tried to make our work more relevant to associations, farmers, gov- ernments and ag businesses as well as to those outside of agriculture. And to make the work we do more impactful by talk- ing to these people about the outcomes of the work that we do and why the policy changes we put forward make sense and should be considered and adopted. GW: How does the organization choose its projects? TM: We’re a small organization with limited resources, so we try to not overlap and duplicate the work of other organizations. We think about where we can fill gaps and add value to ag policy dialog. An example is we try to bring forward ideas that reflect the innovation continuum, to bring the partners togeth- er and develop common solutions and policy recommendations. We’re doing an increasing amount of work around digital agriculture and artificial intelligence, because it is an emerging area. An overarching gap is on systemic issues that cross commodities, regions or links on the value chain. We as a sector don’t often think systemically. We think about what it means for the beef sector or a grain farmer, but governments tend to think broadly about agriculture. Things like our annual Agri-Food Risk Report looks at systemic issues across agricul- ture and food. GW: How does CAPI work to inform and advise government and industry groups? TM: We do a lot of engagement and outreach. We evaluate the perspectives of people in government, businesses, associations and industry groups. Pro- viding advice and information is often about going back to people through the development process. The fact it’s a cycle makes informing and advising easier. GW: In which areas is federal agricultural policy outdated? TM: In general, Canadian agriculture policy has failed to keep up with the times. Over the last 25 years, what happens on farms, in processing facilities and other places has changed drastically, but ag policy hasn’t kept pace. Agricul- ture policy has a lot of catching up to do, never mind getting to the point where we’re leading. GW: What policy areas urgently need an overhaul? TM: Business risk management policies and programs are in the most urgent need of reform. The risk farmers face continues to increase. We need to move away from risk management policies and programs that are very reactive. They should support and encourage proactive risk management on farms. Programs are very effective in some situations and not in others. We need to be prepared to make changes to get more consistently effective risk management tools to farm- ers. Farmers need more choice and risk management tools that better reflect the dynamics they face. GW: What positive developments can you point to in Canadian ag policy? TM: We’ve seen a renewed focus on com- petitiveness and growth issues. But the federal government is talking much more about trade today, in part because they’re dealing with the fallout of what’s happen- ing in the United States. There’s a more serious effort around an ag trade agenda than there has been in past. It’s good the government is talking about regulatory reform, but we need to see some stronger outcomes. GW: How can Canadian agriculture cope with the deterioration of trade relations with the U.S.? TM: This requires a very different approach to market access and devel- opment. Market diversification has a limited benefit in agriculture. Because we are so trade dependent on the U.S. it is important we do all we can to navigate the relationship and maintain market ac- cess as successfully as possible. But what can we do to build our domestic market, to add value and process more here? GW: How can the average farmer influence ag policy? TM: They need to engage with their ad- vocacy organizations, those farm groups that represent them and work on their behalf in the provincial capitals and Ot- tawa. They are supposed to do the work to get better ag policy in this country. Farmers should be constructive and sup- port those organizations but expect a lot from them and hold them to account.