Bibeau says her department is looking at what can be done.Ottawa—The pandemic has generated a lot of discussions about local food supply chains and Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau is consulting with the provinces and industry on what can be done to strengthen them.The heightened public interest in the topic has made it “something we are interested in,” she told the Commons agriculture committee. “Because of COVID, people realize how important it is. That is why strengthening our regional food supply chain is becoming apriority for us.”She is focusing on “what role the federal government can play in strengthening our food security through regional food supply chains.”Local food supply chains have “clearly been identified as a weakness that we want to work on. It's also a shared responsibility. We'll have to find a way to see what's the best role that the Government of Canada can play. The solution is not obvious yet, but this is something that I want to be part of the solution for.”Whatever is done to strengthen local food supply chains has to respect Canada's international trade agreements, she said.NDP agriculture critic Alistair MacGregor said one priority has to be creating a resilient processing capacity in Canada. That should include a reliable fund for small-scale processors in rural communities “to really get over that initial financial hurdle and set something up.”Conservative ag critic Lianne Rood from Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, said the minister needs to address food security in terms of the ability of “food producers and processors to get food from the field, greenhouse, barn or feedlot to our grocery store shelves and coolers.”More than 90 per cent of beef processing in Canada is controlled by two foreign-based companies with very large processing plants while “a greater number of smaller plants would offer some flexibility when the larger plants are shut down,” she said.Bibeau said the pandemic has shown the strengths and weaknesses of the food-processing sector. The government is committed to strengthening our regional food supply chain.Nova Scotia Liberal MP Kody Blois said there now is “an opportunity to bring together elements of reducing emissions, being mindful of sustainable practices, and trying to improve health outcomes and access to healthy food. It really resembles some of the principles we had in the Canadian food policy.”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.