Minister Bibeau Announces the Composition of the 2nd Cohort of the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council

Press Release

From: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

August 11, 2022 – Ottawa, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Young Canadians are the future of the agriculture and agri-food sector, and it is important to give them a voice at the table. Today, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, unveiled the names of the members who will form the second cohort of the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council (CAYC). The inaugural meeting of this new group of 25 young people will be held later this summer. The members of this cohort will serve 18-month terms.

Young farmers are committed, energetic, passionate and full of ideas on the future of the agriculture and agri-food sector. To build on these strengths, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has given the Council the mandate to make recommendations and help find solutions to issues facing young people in the agricultural sector.

The renewed Council will see 15 new faces joining the ten returning members serving a second term. Together, this second cohort of the Youth Council represents subsectors from across the agriculture and agri-food value chain.

The Council’s main task is to ensure that the perspectives of youth in agriculture are well understood, and to help inform on policy, programs, planning and decision-making. The views of Canadian young people are vital in developing government policy and programs that meet the needs of future generations.

Quotes

“I was impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of the first cohort of the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council and look forward to working with this new group. Young people’s perspectives on issues such as sustainable agriculture, innovation, intergenerational transfers, mental health and work-life balance allow us to shape the sector’s future in their image.”

– The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Quick facts

• The Canadian Agricultural Youth Council is non-partisan, and its members are volunteers.
• The Canadian Agricultural Youth Council was created in July 2020 with a group of 25 young people representing a diverse mix of people from the agriculture and agri-food sub-sectors, as well as from each province and the North.
• The application process includes a series of questions about each applicant’s experience in the agriculture and agri-food sector, a short essay on a major problem facing youth in the sector, and a proposed way to solve it.
• The new cohort’s 18-month term begins officially in summer 2022. Fifteen new members have been recruited to take over from just over half of the members of the first Council. Ten members of the first cohort are joined by the new members to form the second cohort of the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council.
• The first cohort of the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council commented on and guided significant government initiatives, including AgriCommunication and the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership and represented Canada’s position on youth in agriculture in various international forums.
• See the full list of the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council members.

Associated links

• Prime Minister’s Youth Council
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Youth Employment and Skills Program
• Youth Employment and Skills Strategy
• AgriDiversity Program
• Canada’s Youth Policy
• Canada’s first State of youth report: for youth, with youth, by youth

Contacts

Marianne Dandurand
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
marianne.dandurand@agr.gc.ca
343-541-9229

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
1-866-345-7972
aafc.mediarelations-relationsmedias.aac@agr.gc.ca

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