FREDERICTON – Green Party leader and Fredericton Lincoln MLA David Coon is making a strong push for food sovereignty in New Brunswick, calling on the provincial government to take decisive action in supporting small and medium-scale food producers and processors. His call comes in response to the Trump administration’s tariff threats—currently delayed for 30 days—but his proposal goes far beyond immediate economic concerns, aiming to reshape New Brunswick’s food system into one that is sustainable, locally driven, and resilient.
Coon’s demand for a round-table of local producers to advise Premier Holt is the first step toward building a self-sufficient, community-based food economy that prioritizes small and medium-scale farms over multinational agribusiness. His proposal directly challenges the corporate-dominated food supply chains that have long made local farmers and food processors struggle for access to institutional buyers and major retailers.
“It is critical that we strengthen our local food systems, to reduce reliance on imported food, expand farming, and grow our processing sector for local food,” Coon stated. “A local economy is a Green economy.”
A Progressive Food Strategy for New Brunswick
Beyond addressing trade uncertainties, Coon is calling for a comprehensive food import replacement strategy that would remove systemic barriers preventing local farmers and food processors from supplying public institutions like schools and hospitals, as well as improving their access to retail grocery chains across the Maritimes.
This vision aligns with long-standing Green Party principles of economic justice, environmental sustainability, and community resilience. Rather than relying on imported goods from multinational corporations that extract wealth from the province, Coon’s proposal would redirect economic power back into the hands of local farmers, workers, and small businesses.
A Green Economy for Food Security
Coon also underscored the historic inaction on this issue, pointing out that the Liberals rejected the first local food bill he tabled in 2015—an early Green Party effort to prioritize local, sustainable agriculture in government policy. Now, with global trade uncertainty exposing the fragility of food imports, the Green leader is urging immediate action:
“Supporting local food isn’t just an economic necessity if tariffs are imposed—it’s a chance to bring about local food security that will make New Brunswick more self-sufficient. As Greens, we have been drawing attention to this issue since I tabled our first local food bill in 2015. The Liberal government of the day voted it down. They must finally act now.”
By shifting the focus to small and medium-scale producers and investing in community-based food systems, Coon’s proposal would create stable, well-paying jobs in rural and urban areas, support regenerative farming practices, and reduce New Brunswick’s dependence on global trade policies dictated by foreign governments.
This is more than just a response to tariff threats—it is a bold step toward food justice, economic democracy, and environmental sustainability in New Brunswick.
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