Dominic Barton will have a full agenda when he takes up his post in Beijing.Ottawa—The appointment of Dominic Barton as Canadian ambassador to China was welcomed by farm leaders but the former business leader and university chancellor will have a lot of issues to deal with besides blocked shipments of canola, pork and beef.Barton succeeds John McCallum, a former Liberal MP who was removed from the post back in January. The arrest of a Chinese hitech executive in Vancouver on a U.S. arrest warrant soured relations between Ottawa and Beijing leading to the suspension of Canadian canola, pork and beef imports on unproven grounds. Several Canadians are being held in Chinese prisons on trumped-up charges.In 2016, Barton, then head of the federal Canada's Advisory Council on Economic Growth, released a report that urged the federal government to use agrifood as a pilot project for boosting the economic growth of seven other sectors. It said, “The aspirational vision – being the trusted global food leader – must be the lens through which we assess all relevant policies and strategies.”Since then the Barton report's goal of $75 billion in Canadian agrifood exports by 2025 has been a key component of discussions on the future of the agrifood sector.Ron Bonnett, Past President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, helped get Barton interested in looking at agrifood's potential. He sent a message of congratulations to Barton saying his“knowledge of the importance of having solid relationships should ensure sound economic partnerships between Canada and China and serve us well. I am particularly pleased with the interest and support you have shown for the opportunities in agriculture sectors and in your new position you will be able to help nuture those opportunities. All the best in this new adventure.”Chairman Jeff Nielsen of Grain Growers of Canada (GGC), said, “Given the importance and recent uncertainty of our trade relationship, it is crucial to have an experienced voice in China to stand up for our sector and help re-open the markets we count on.”Canada's farmers rely on exports to survive and thrive as over 90 per cent of our agri-food products are shipped to international customers. GGC is hopeful that the federal government prioritizes the needs of our export-oriented grain sector. This includes quickly moving to resolve the market access challenges that our members are increasingly facing into the Chinese marketplace.“Canadian grain farmers have suffered the impact of this trade dispute for far too long,” Nielsen said. “We rely on certainty with our customers to secure our future and are hopeful that our new ambassador will help to re-establish a fruitful relationship with our second-largest trading partner.”GGC is confident Barton will carry forward his support for the agrifood sector, he said.When Barton's appointment was announced Sept. 4, he was about to speak at the Toronto Global Forum. When he was introduced the crowd of business and trade experts, the crowd broke into a loud round of applause.He has an impressive CV. He's Global Managing Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company, will be Canada's new Ambassador to China and the chancellor of the University of Waterloo. He has lived in Korea and Shanghai and is and is an Adjunct Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing.He graduated from the University of British Columbia with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he obtained his Master of Philosophy in Economics. He also holds eight honourary doctorates from academic institutions around the world. He currently serves as Chairman of Teck Resources and as Non-Executive Director at the Singtel Group in Singapore and Investor AB in Sweden.Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.