Reverse AAFC cuts and closures
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to reverse AAFC’s planned elimination of 665 positions and the closure of the Organic and Regenerative Research Program (Swift Current) and seven research centres: Lacombe, Guelph, Quebec City, Indian Head, Scott, Portage la Prairie and Nappan.
Why we would sign this petition
- It preserves specialized scientific, technical and support staff needed for ongoing agricultural research and public plant breeding to address production challenges.
- It keeps existing laboratories, equipment and institutional knowledge that petitioners say are irreplaceable investments for farmers and the agricultural economy.
- It retains a strategic public research capacity that petitioners argue underpins Canada’s ability to produce food and respond to emerging threats.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Reversing the cuts may conflict with broader fiscal constraints and competing government priorities, making the requested restorations costly.
- Closures may reflect planned consolidation or modernization of research activities intended to improve efficiency rather than simply reduce capacity.
- The petition does not propose alternative funded plans to maintain operations, so reversal may be impractical without new resources or clear offsets.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada WHEREAS: On January 23, 2026 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) announced plans to cut 665 positions, primarily scientific, technical and support staff carrying out agricultural research, and close 7 research facilities: the Lacombe, Guelph, and Quebec City Research and Development Centres and the Indian Head, Scott, Portage la Prairie, and Nappan Research Farms, as well as the Organic and Regenerative Research Program at the Swift Current R&D Center; AND WHEREAS: The affected positions and facilities are essential to Canadian agriculture, representing an irreplaceable investment in facilities, equipment and highly educated personnel, an irreplaceable knowledge base, essential infrastructure for public plant breeding needed to address critical production challenges to provide ongoing success for farmers and our agricultural economy, and a strategic asset to safeguard Canada's ability to feed ourselves THEREFORE We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to reverse the planned cuts of 665 AAFC staff and closure of the Organic and Regenerative Research Program at Swift Current, and the Lacombe, Guelph, Quebec City, Indian Head, Scott, Portage la Prairie, and Nappan research facilities.
Government response
No government response is available yet.