Canadian ministers vow to develop new agricultural policy framework at Calgary meeting

After two days of meetings in Calgary, Canada's agriculture ministers have pledged to develop a new agricultural policy framework, with the current one set to expire in 2018.

The ministers say they will protect the country's eggs, dairy and poultry from foreign competition, while at the same time open new markets through trade agreements.

The statement makes a series of wide-reaching commitments that range from a promise to respect the current 60-40 federal-provincial cost-share ratio for funding, to examining how government can help reinforce confidence and public trust in the agriculture sector.

It was Lawrence MacAuley's first meeting as federal agriculture minister with his provincial and territorial counterparts.

MacAuley called the discussions productive and noted they reached common ground on a number of key areas.

He noted the Canadian agriculture sector generates over $108 billion for the national economy and is the single largest employer of all manufacturing sectors, providing jobs to one in eight Canadians.