Federal government defends closure of seven research facilities

OTTAWA — The federal government will not reverse a decision to close several agricultural research facilities across the country, a move the opposition Conservatives are calling a threat to Canada’s food security.

In May, the House of Commons committee on agriculture and agri-food recommended in a report that the government keep open seven agricultural research centres and experimental farm sites that it planned to close as part of a government-wide cost-cutting exercise.

In a response to that report released this week, the government says the decision to close the sites reflects a deliberate shift to prioritize “investment in research expertise and activities” over operations and maintenance costs.

It says the site closures won’t mean the end of all scientific activities undertaken by them and 17 research centres remain open across the country.