A new parliamentary report warns that the government’s plan to save $394 million by shutting down regional labs will jeopardize domestic food security and derail billions in economic returns.

OTTAWA — An all-party parliamentary committee is calling on the federal government to immediately halt and reverse its decision to shut down several agricultural research centres across Canada, calling the cuts short-sighted and a direct threat to national food security.

The blistering critique is detailed in a report presented to the House of Commons on May 6, 2026, by the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, titled “Science in Canadian Agriculture and the Closure of Research Centres“. The document follows an intensive month-long investigation by parliamentarians into federal spending choices. Committee members are now urging the government to pause the scheduled shutdowns before vital regional scientific data is lost permanently.

The True Cost of Fiscal Efficiencies

The dispute stems from the government’s comprehensive expenditure review, which targets three major research development centres in Lacombe, Alta., Quebec City, and Guelph, Ont., alongside four historic experimental satellite farms in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada officials defended the plan, stating that the closures would consolidate operations and yield roughly $394 million in cumulative savings over the next four fiscal years. Senior officials testified that the shutdowns would reduce facility maintenance and operational upkeep costs by consolidating scientific efforts into fewer centralized facilities.

However, the committee’s report heavily criticizes this logic, pointing to testimony from local leaders who stated that every single dollar channeled into public agricultural research yields up to $63 in long-term economic returns. Representatives from Protein Industries Canada also reminded the committee that the agriculture and agri-food sector generated nearly $150 billion in 2024, accounting for seven per cent of Canada’s total gross domestic product. Forgoing these advancements to satisfy immediate budgetary targets represents a profound misunderstanding of the sector’s value, according to municipal and industry representatives.

Food Security Reclassified as National Security

With global supply chains facing ongoing instability, the committee is urging Ottawa to fundamentally shift how it views the farming sector. In its list of formal recommendations, the committee insists that the federal government officially classify the agriculture and agri-food industry as a strategic sector on par with energy, treating domestic food security as a vital national security priority.

The report also highlights that public investment in agricultural knowledge generation has already dropped by 15 per cent in recent years, while private sector research partnerships have plummeted. Rather than cutting front-line scientific operations, the committee recommends that the government find alternative administrative reductions to meet its fiscal targets without dismantling the country’s core scientific infrastructure.