NEWS
RELEASE
November 18, 2005
Agriculture industry votes in favour of Sector
Council
(OTTAWA)
– Today agriculture industry stakeholders voted unanimously
in favour of establishing a Sector Council to deal with human resources
challenges in the agri-food industry. Participating in the decision were
over 100 agri-food industry representatives, including farm owners and
operators, farm employees, and government officials, who attended the
Agriculture Human Resources Sector Council Congress of Stakeholders held
in Ottawa this week.
“This is an important step for our industry which will allow us
to take ownership and invest in solutions that address the human resources
and employment issues we face,” said Bob Friesen, President of the
Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). “I would like to extend
my congratulations to all the delegates at the Congress. Your hard work
this week will benefit our entire industry.”
Since February 2004, a group of producers from across the country, representing
a wide range of agriculture sectors, has been working on the concept of
an Agriculture Human Resources Sector Council, which would be part of
the network of more than 30 industry-led Sector Councils supported by
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada has also been a strong supporter of the Agriculture Sector Council
project. An industry-led Agriculture Human Resources Sector Council would,
among other things, promote the image of the agriculture sector to encourage
more people to work on the farm and in farming; define and anticipate
skills requirements; and create an open dialogue between government and
the agriculture industry to identify possible public policy or regulatory
challenges relating to employee recruitment and retention.
With today’s overwhelming show of support for the Sector Council
project, work will now begin on building the infrastructure for the Council.
The steering committee of industry representatives that has guided the
process of laying foundations for the Council will now become an interim
Board of Directors, establishing the by-laws and organizational structures
for the Council.
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(Authored
and distributed by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture) |