Food and agriculture get prominent mention throughout restart report.   Ottawa-A game plan developed by business leaders for firing up the post-pandemic Canadian economy envisages a prominent role for the agrifood sector. The 136-page report of the Industry Strategy Council, released last month with little fanfare, sets out the steps “for building a digital, sustainable and innovative economy.” Its goal is “to restart, recover, and reimagine prosperity for all Canadians.” The Council was set up by Industry Minister Navdeep Bains in May and headed by Monique Leroux, former Chair, President and CEO of the Desjardins Group and Vice-Chair of Fiera Holdings Inc. Murad Al-Katib, President and CEO, AGT Food and Ingredients, was on the Council as the head of the Agrifood strategy table he led in 2017-18. The Council talked with more than 1,000 leaders from businesses, academia and associations. The plan recommends an industrial strategy with four key pillars including leveraging “our agri-food advantage to feed the planet.” The other pillars are becoming a digital and data-driven economy, being a world leader in resources, clean energy, and clean technology and building innovative and high-value manufacturing. Among the essential steps for governments are restoring confidence and commerce among Canadian businesses and consumers to support a safe reopening of the economy. That will require a future-oriented investment plan, workforce innovation, access to growth capital, strategic infrastructure investments, agile regulation and strategic use of procurement. The plan has three phases-restart, recover and reimagine-to get the country through successive waves of the pandemic while reassuring families and businesses and safeguarding the economic and social fabric of the country, she said. Economic recovery will require rebuilding our strengths and addressing the gaps “that we are facing and that have been exposed by the crisis.” “At the same time, we have the opportunity to modernize burdensome regulations to make them more agile, and use the government's procurement capabilities strategically to strengthen key sectors, provide opportunities for innovative SMEs, and showcase homegrown know-how.” “Canada must prepare, capitalize on its core strengths, and aim for the top of the podium in promising areas such as digital and data; resources, clean energy, and clean technology; innovative high-value manufacturing and agri-food.” The recommendations aim to make the pandemic an opportunity for transformative change in a rapidly changing world, the plan said. Even before the pandemic, Canada's economy was operating “below its real potential. Canada faced persistent historical challenges, particularly in terms of productivity, private investment, trade and physical and digital infrastructure.” The plan could involve most economic sectors and “pave the way for a generation of prosperity across Canada in a renewed leadership position globally. The new industrial strategy should also establish renewed private sector partnerships and investments anchored in a sound and rigorous fiscal framework.” 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.