By News – d2127

Beekeepers join MP in Ottawa to raise honey industry concerns

Dec 23, 2025 | 2:00 PM

One in every three bites on your plate is a result of bee pollination.

Beekeepers from five provinces shared that message when they were invited to Parliament Hill in November to discuss the essential role the bee industry plays in the success of the food and agriculture sectors in Canada.

Peace River-Westlock Member of Parliament Arnold Viersen was joined by Mike Paradis, owner of Paradis Honey, a family-owned Apiary located near Girouxville. Also, part of the delegation was the President of the Canadian Beekeepers Federation, Curtis Miedema, owner of Miedema Honey outside Barrhead and President of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission, and Owen Miedema, Curtis’s son and one of the youngest beekeepers in Canada.

The full beekeeping delegation represented 10 per cent of Canada’s commercial honey production.

During the meeting, Viersen arranged for the beekeepers to meet with the U.S. and Mexican embassies to discuss cross-border and trade issues affecting beekeepers. He also hosted the beekeepers in the House of Commons, where he made a statement of tribute to bees and beekeepers.

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In the evening of Nov. 24, Viersen and Alberta Senator Paula Simons, along with the Alberta Beekeepers Commission and the Canadian Beekeepers Federation, hosted the first-ever Honey on the Hill Reception to celebrate the Canadian beekeeping industry.

The following day, Viersen arranged a briefing for Conservative MPs to hear from the beekeepers. During a media conference Alberta Beekeepers Commission and the Canadian Beekeepers Federation highlighted the growing challenges Canadian beekeepers face including maintaining colony health, accessing replacement honeybee stock, competing with fraudulent imports, and ensuring skilled seasonal labourers.

Mike Paradis with the Canadian Beekeepers Federation said the Canadian commercial beekeeping industry is foundational to national food security and the agricultural economy.

“In Canada, more than 21 food and feed crops are dependent on honey bee pollination,” Paradis said. “However, outdated policies, regulatory inaction, and unfair trade practices are inflicting direct economic harm on Canadian beekeepers.”

Miedema said honey bees are the backbone of Canada’s food system, and the economic value of pollinated crops in Canada, driven primarily by honey bee pollination, is $7 billion each year.

“Yet the beekeeping industry’s viability has been severely undermined by a pattern of detrimental decisions and a lack of meaningful engagement between the commercial beekeeping industry and federal regulators,” Miedema said.

Beekeepers from across five provinces called for immediate government intervention to implement a framework that addresses critical failures in stock replacement, honey adulteration, and access to essential treatments.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com