CPMA provides a forum for both industry members and government to dialogue on a wide range of issues and initiatives which may affect the distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables, including trade facilitation and standardization. CPMA places a strong emphasis on federal and provincial government advocacy on behalf of its members, and the produce industry at large, to ensure that there will be no unnecessarily complicated or restrictive regulations that impede the ability of members to market and sell fresh produce in Canada.
Joint CPMA-CHC Webinar – Produce Industry Federal Election 2015 Primer
On October 19th, Canadians will elect a new federal government who will be responsible for making decisions that affect the produce industry. Given the long, unpredictable campaign, it’s important that members of the produce industry in Canada know where things stand.
On Tuesday, September 15th, CPMA and the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) hosted a webinar to discuss key issues around the election campaign, including:
- The election to date and what you can expect until October 19th
- Why produce is important to political parties and what they’re saying so far
- CPMA and CHC election advocacy campaign and other activities
- Getting the produce voice heard locally
To listen to the webinar, please click here. You can also consult the presentation used here. A fact sheet on the issues discussed, including a table including a table summarizing party positions on produce issues can be found here.
Federal Election 2015: Make sure your voice is heard!
With this fall’s federal election fast approaching, it’s a great time for you to reach out to your Member of Parliament (MP) and local candidates to ensure that the issues of importance to the produce industry in Canada are heard. CPMA and the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) have been talking with the three main parties but we need you to help amplify our message to ensure that the industry is heard from coast to coast.
To help you with this, CPMA and CHC have prepared a template message that you can send by email, along with fact sheets on the two key issues that have been identified: financial risk protection for the produce industry and increasing Canadians consumption of fruits and vegetables. Links to the documents can be found below:
- Template message
- Payment Protection for Produce Sellers Fact Sheet
- Fruits and Vegetables for Healthy Canadians Fact Sheet
You can find your Member of Parliament by searching by name, riding or postal code here.
To find your local candidates, please visit the listings on the political party websites. Please note that not all candidates have been selected and details on candidates will increase as the election approaches.
- Conservative Party of Canada
- New Democratic Party of Canada
- Liberal Party of Canada
- Green Party of Canada
- Bloc Québécois
In addition to reaching out by email, we encourage you to connect in other ways and make the industry’s concerns known in your community. MPs and candidates will be actively campaigning in their ridings throughout the summer and fall. We encourage you to reach out by going to events they are attending, dropping into their campaign office, attending and asking questions at candidate forums, and any other opportunities that you may hear of locally. Writing a letter to the editor on our key issues can also help to get their attention.
If you need any assistance in reaching out to your MP or candidates, or need any more information on our key topics, please don’t hesitate to contact Latitia Scarr at lscarr@cpma.ca, who would be happy to assist.
