Agriculture plays an incredibly important role in the lives of Canadians across the country. Whether it be the cherry farms of British Columbia, grain mills of Saskatchewan, corn fields of Ontario, maple syrup harvesters of Quebec, or lobster fisheries of the Atlantic provinces, the agriculture and agri-food sector has a direct impact on all our lives while making sure we don't go hungry.
You’ll find many kinds of agricultural goods across Canada’s expansive and fertile lands. For example, highbush blueberries from British Columbia aren’t uncommon in grocery stores in Toronto. At the same time, you always see apples from Ontario on the shelves in Alberta. You’ll also find these products around the world as a result of trade with other nations, like the pulses and lentils of Saskatchewan imported by India -- the world's largest country by population.
Not only does the entire industry feed us here at home and millions of people abroad, but it also adds massive, irreplaceable value to the economy through billions of dollars worth of sales, exports and employment each year.
When you look at the numbers, the importance of the agricultural industry becomes clear. In 2023, for example, the entire agri-food and agriculture system:
- Employed 2.3 million people
- Supported 1 in 9 jobs nationwide
- Generated $150 billion (around 7%) of Canada’s GDP
Below we look at several other facts and figures about the Canadian agriculture industry: by the numbers! Please note, the main original source for these statistics (Natural Resources Canada – We Grow More Thank You Think) has since been indexed by the federal government and is no longer available online [1]. Not to worry, we’ve kept these interesting stats for your review below, and added some more while we’re at it!
