Canada is in the midst of its most ambitious trade pivot in a generation. The federal government, having committed to doubling non-U.S. exports over the next decade, has concluded new agreements with Indonesia and Ecuador, relaunched negotiations with India, and signed investment deals with the United Arab Emirates all while navigating a volatile review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

Nearly all of these efforts focus on what Canada sells. Almost none is directed at what Canada buys. That creates a risky blind spot, especially when it comes to our food supply.

According to the new National Food Security Strategy, Canada is the world’s 11th-largest importer of agriculture and agri-food products. We import about 88 per cent of the fresh fruit and nuts and 72 per cent of the fresh vegetables we consume. In 2024, we imported around $2.6 billion worth of coffee and coffee products, about $1.75 billion in ready-to-eat chocolate in 2023, and a similar value in 2025 for cocoa beans.

To produce high-value goods such as roasted coffee or chocolate, Canadian enterprises rely heavily on imported commodities that we cannot grow at home. This dependency makes Canada vulnerable to supply fluctuations and market volatility, as demonstrated by recent surges in global cocoa and coffee prices, driven by extreme weather in key producing regions.

What Canada’s national food security strategy is missing New bill fails to address human rights abuses in supply chains Community food systems are critical to Canada’s national security

What Canada’s national food security strategy is missing

New bill fails to address human rights abuses in supply chains

Community food systems are critical to Canada’s national security

When the productive capacity of our international partners erodes, it threatens our own domestic food manufacturing industry. Enhancing the resilience — and sustainability — of our supply chain is essential to safeguarding our security.

In pursuing its ambitious market diversification strategy, Canada must remain mindful of the sustainability of agri-food imports. This is not an argument for trading less, or erecting protectionist barriers behind a green label. The objective is to ensure goods coming into the country arrive free of the environmental degradation and labour abuses that are often reported by NGOs.

Economic prosperity and sustainability can be compatible. Treating sustainability as an investment rather than a........

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