Minister MacAulay announces new members of the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council

Press Release

From: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

September 10, 2024

Today, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced the members of the third cohort of the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council (CAYC). Nine new faces and 13 returning youth from the second cohort will make up the new Council, all serving terms of 18 months.

The CAYC acts as a consultative body to Minister MacAulay and to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, providing advice, enabling on-going dialogue on food-related challenges and opportunities, sharing information and best practices, and advising on policies and programs affecting the agriculture and agri-food sectors.

First established in 2020, the Council’s primary role is to provide a youth perspective to AAFC and the Government of Canada. Young people in agriculture and agri-food are committed, energetic, passionate and full of ideas on the future of the sector. Their perspectives are vital in developing government policy and programs that meet the needs of future generations. The CAYC’s input will help inform AAFC’s policies, programs, planning and decision making.

The members of the third cohort represent a variety of subsectors from across the agriculture and agri-food value chain, from producers to researchers to members of non-governmental organizations.

Their first meeting will be held in the next month.

Quotes

“There’s no doubt that young people are the future of the sector, but they’re also leading the way today. The Canadian Agricultural Youth Council brings together folks from right across Canada to share their unique perspectives and this forum is vitally important to helping us develop policies and programming that will support the next generation of farmers. I would like to congratulate all of the new and returning members and thank past members for their hard work and dedication to Canadian agriculture.”

– The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Quick facts

• The Canadian Agricultural Youth Council is non-partisan, and its members are volunteers.
• It 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 CAYC was refreshed in August 2022 with its second cohort (15 new faces and 10 returning) and helped guide significant government initiatives, including efforts to develop a Sustainable Agricultural Strategy, and provided input to consultations on the Agricultural Labour Strategy and the National School Food Policy. They also met with other youth councils from across the Government of Canada to discuss common issues and priorities, such as climate change.
• In addition, its members represented Canada’s position on youth in agriculture in various international fora, such as the World Food Forum and the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services.
• Today’s announcement marks the third cohort of the CAYC, with members serving 18-month terms.

Associated links

• Canadian Agricultural Youth Council
• Video: “We are the future of agriculture”
• Prime Minister’s Youth Council
• AgriDiversity Program

Contacts
Annie Cullinan
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
annie.cullinan@agr.gc.ca

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972

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