May 24, 2019
GOVERNMENTS INVEST MORE THAN $4.8 MILLION
FOR AGRICULTURE RESEARCH
As part of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Canadian and Manitoba governments are investing more than $4.8 million for 22 projects under the Ag Action Manitoba Research and Innovation Activity Stream, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced today.
“Manitoba continues to be a hub for research and innovation, which will help drive the long-term success of Manitoba’s agriculture sector, benefiting farmers, processors and many other stakeholders,” said Eichler. “Research and innovation are an integral part of agriculture in Manitoba and will continue to accelerate the rate at which our industry grows.”
“Our government has an ambitious agenda for Canadian agriculture that starts with smart investments like this, which will demonstrate health benefits of Western crops to Canadians and international consumers,” said Dan Vandal, member of Parliament for Saint-Boniface – Saint Vital, on behalf of Bibeau. “St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre has a world-class team of researchers who are keeping our province on the competitive edge. With these investments, we are strengthening our agriculture and food sector at every step in order to create good middle-class jobs for Manitobans.”
Researchers at the St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre will be receiving more than $650,000 to conduct four separate studies on the economic and health-related effects of flaxseed and flax milk. Areas of study include the effect of flax milk on chemotherapy side effects experienced by breast cancer patients, how flax milk can improve arterial hypertension, how memory and cognition are affected by flaxseed, and comparing the effects of fish oil to flax oil.
“We are excited by the opportunity afforded by the federal and provincial governments to our five principal investigators here at St. Boniface Hospital to determine if flax can significantly help in the fight against disease and create an economic impact to boost Canadian agribusiness,” said Dr. Grant Pierce, executive director, St. Boniface Hospital Research. “The opportunity to collaborate with major flax companies in Manitoba, like Pizzeys’ Ingredients, gives us another exciting opportunity to produce important information that will advance the flax field.”
The Ag Action Manitoba Research and Innovation Activity Stream provides grant funding for researcher and industry-led projects that contribute to the development of agricultural knowledge and skills and improve the competitiveness and sustainability of Manitoba’s agriculture, agri-food and agri-product sectors.
More information about Ag Action Manitoba is available at www.manitoba.ca/agriculture under Canadian Agricultural Partnership, by calling 1-844-769-6224 (toll-free) or emailing agaction@gov.mb.ca. Manitobans can also sign up for a digital newsletter at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/online-resources/signup-for-growing-manitoba-ag.html or follow Manitoba Agriculture’s Twitter channel at www.twitter.com/MBGovAg for more information about Ag Action Manitoba.
The five-year, $3-billion Canadian Agricultural Partnership includes $2 billion for cost-shared strategic initiatives delivered by the provinces and territories and $1 billion for federal programs and services. For more information, visit www.canada.ca/Agri-Partnership.
For more information:
- Public information, contact Manitoba Government Inquiry: 1-866-626-4862 or 204-945-3744.
- Media requests for general information, contact Communications Services Manitoba: 204-945-3765.
- Media requests for ministerial comment, contact Communications and Stakeholder Relations: 204-945-4916.
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