Help Wanted: Labour Shortages Threaten the Future of Canadian Agriculture

Addressing Labour Shortages Is Critical to the Industry’s Future and Global Food Security

Executive summary

CFIB’s new report, Help Wanted: Labour Shortages Threaten the Future of Canadian Agriculture, looks at how prevailing labour shortages have negatively affected agri-businesses across Canada. Labour shortages in agriculture must be addressed to ensure the future of the sector remains bright with opportunities for growth and to ensure global food security at a time of political unrest and uncertainty. This report looks at addressing the current state of overall labour shortages in agriculture, optimism levels in agri-businesses, the challenges exacerbating labour shortages (including the tax burden, an aging population, and issues specific to rural living in Canada), and potential solutions to labour shortages in agriculture (such as increasing wages, Temporary Foreign Worker [TFW] programs, hiring retired workers, and increasing automation). Our solutions focus on reducing the tax burden for agri-businesses to make it easier to hire and retain workers, improving educational and social opportunities for workers and employers, and streamlining immigration processes to get seasonal and permanent workers to agri-businesses.