The annual meeting of agriculture ministers representing federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) governments across Canada has been postponed to accommodate the wildfire situation in Manitoba.
The 2025 FPT meeting was scheduled to be held July 16-18 in Winnipeg.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and community leaders have been asking tourists to avoid booking hotel rooms for non-essential reasons, as around 21 thousand people have been evacuated from northern communities affected by wildfires in the province. Many of them are staying at hotels and in temporary accommodations set up in hockey arenas and community centres in Winnipeg. Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency due to the wildfires.
The FPT ag ministers will instead meet virtually in July. Discussions are underway between the host province and the federal government on a new in-person date in fall.
"I spoke with my counterpart Minister Ron Kostyshyn this afternoon and my heart goes out to everyone affected by the fires across Western Canada and Northern Ontario. Our thoughts are with you and we will be there for you in the days ahead," wrote federal Ag Minister Heath MacDonald, in a post on social media, acknowledging the postponement of the ag ministers' meeting late Thursday.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is also planning to hold its summer meeting in Winnipeg on July 15 and 16. It was supposed to include the annual FPT roundtable with ministers.
The annual get-together of ag ministers, whenever it happens, will be the first for Minister MacDonald, representing the Liberal government led by Mark Carney.
Meanwhile, the federal minister is headed to Saskatchewan this week, where he is slated to meet with ag industry stakeholders, including Saskatchewan Ag Minister Daryl Harrison on Saturday (June 14.)
"There's no question – Saskatchewan is essential to agriculture and agriculture is essential to Saskatchewan. I want to get my boots on the ground, meet with folks face-to-face, on their land, and deliver on the things that matter to producers across the province," said MacDonald, in a statement distributed by AAFC prior to his trip west on Thursday.
