[UPDATED: Mar. 6, 2023] Farm labour was a hot topic at the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture in Ottawa March 6 and 7.
Jennifer Wright, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council, led a panel discussion that delved into the size and scope of the issue and some of the possible solutions.
Panelists said it boils down to quality of life for potential workers. They want good infrastructure — and that doesn’t just mean roads or bridges.
They want decent internet, readily available daycare, social opportunities and good transportation options, among other things.
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“Things like this all contribute to attracting a strong workforce. Without it, it’s very difficult to have success,” Wright said in a followup interview with Gord Gilmour, senior editor for Glacier FarmMedia.
Wright pointed out that while temporary foreign workers program has been an important addition to the farm labour makeup, filling upwards of 59,000 jobs before the pandemic hit, it’s not the solution.
Canada’s population is not growing fast enough to meet the workforce needs of the future. “Labour source growth, no matter what industry it is, will only come from immigration,” she said, noting rural Canada will need to invest in infrastructure that attracts and keeps people close to where the jobs are located.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture says that pre-pandemic, the labour gap on Canadian farmers was 63,000 positions. That shortage is expected to increase to 123,000 by 2029.
The gap that exists today is estimated to have cost the sector $2.9 billion in lost sales or 4.2 per cent of the sector’s total sales.
Julie Bisonnette, president of the Quebec Federation of Young Farmers, said meeting the infrastructure needs will be a fact of life for farm employers.
“People don’t want to move to places that have poor internet,” she said, speaking through an interpreter, noting the internet question is emblematic of rural Canada’s challenges in attracting workers.
Brenna Mahoney, general manager of Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers, said the quality of life issue affects the sector’s abilities to attract potential employees across the skills spectrum.
“As a sector, we know how good we are — but without the resources, we’re not going anywhere,” Mahoney said. “The veterinary shortage is across Canada, it’s not just a Manitoba challenge. But is the infrastructure there to attract them? Things like adequate daycare?”
Cyr Couturier, an executive board member of the CAHRC and aquaculture scientist at Newfoundland’s Memorial University, told the meeting that these questions are important because the farm worker of the future is all but certain to ‘come from away.’
“One of the greatest opportunities is connecting with people outside the rural areas,” he said. “Canada is 70 per cent urban, and we need to connect with them, so they know there are good opportunities in rural Canada.”
He noted that communities on the southern coast of Newfoundland have partnered with an aquaculture operation there to address some of these shortcomings.
“They support this because they know aquaculture is good for their communities,” he said.
For more on this topic, see upcoming issues of the Manitoba Co-operator, the Alberta Farmer Express and Farmtario.
*Update: quotes from additional panelists were included.
