Beijing is restructuring its food supply to reduce dependence on countries like Canada. Ottawa’s response is to sell them more. That tension has a cost, and Canadians are going to feel it.
I do believe change behind the banner of food security could help showcase how to move from rip and ship to exporting value-added. We do not have to be everyone else's hinterland. Thank you for this piece...I also like food security because it fits into local economies so well...
Graeme, “everyone else’s hinterland” is exactly the right framing, and I may borrow it with credit somewhere down the line. The rip-and-ship model has served export volumes well, but it has left us structurally thin when relationships shift or markets close. And you are right that food security is one of those rare policy levers that works at every scale, from the national processing argument all the way down to local economies and regional food systems. That connection is worth a much longer conversation. Thank you for reading and for adding this.
I do believe change behind the banner of food security could help showcase how to move from rip and ship to exporting value-added. We do not have to be everyone else's hinterland. Thank you for this piece...I also like food security because it fits into local economies so well...
Graeme, “everyone else’s hinterland” is exactly the right framing, and I may borrow it with credit somewhere down the line. The rip-and-ship model has served export volumes well, but it has left us structurally thin when relationships shift or markets close. And you are right that food security is one of those rare policy levers that works at every scale, from the national processing argument all the way down to local economies and regional food systems. That connection is worth a much longer conversation. Thank you for reading and for adding this.