Agriculture minister looking for diversity of voices with youth council

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau is putting together a youth council she hopes will help her address issues on the future of food production in Canada.

Bibeau said she had a youth council for her riding before she was in cabinet, and she wants to bring that voice to her cabinet office as well. She has had more than 300 applications for the 25- to 30-member council. The council will be one way for her to hear from a larger variety of voices, she said.

"Most of the people I was meeting with representing agriculture were experienced men," she said.

"I thought that, well, we are thinking, you know, about the future of agriculture and we must have more women and more young people around these tables to think about our future and actually about their future."

'What is your ambition for the future'

Bibeau is looking for people aged 18 to 30 with experience in the agriculture sector. Regional representation will also be very important, she said, as the experience of farming in Alberta is very different from the experience of farming on Prince Edward Island.

While Bibeau has issues she wants the council to address, such as the future of the dairy sector and plans for a buy-Canadian marketing strategy, she also wants to give the council plenty of scope to set its own priorities.

"I really want to have further discussion on what do you care about, whatmakes you worry, what is your ambition for the future, how do you see agriculture in the future, and let them make the agenda," she said.

Given the number of applications, Bibeau said it will likely take a few weeks to review them and appoint the council members, but she would like to get the council together and working as quickly as possible.

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