Farm Debt Mediation Act (FDMA) – 2026 Report to Parliament

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is conducting an evaluation of the Farm Debt Mediation Service. This requirement is to establish a Contract to acquire independent expertise in program evaluation and agriculture sector analysis to conduct an independent review of the operation of the Farm Debt Mediation Act (FDMA) and the FDMS, fulfilling the statutory review requirement under Section 28 of the FDMA and to support the drafting of the Minister’s Report to Parliament. The key objectives of this review are to: 1. Assess the relevance and design of FDMS, including its alignment with the FDMA, departmental priorities, and broader government outcomes. 2. Examine results, impact, and performance information, drawing on the program’s Performance Information Profile (PIP) indicators as a reference to guide the assessment. 3. Evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of FDMS and identify opportunities for improvement. The required outputs include: • A comprehensive FDMS Review Report. • A Draft Report to Parliament suitable for Ministerial tabling. A Final Report to Parliament, summarizing the findings and conclusions from the study, revised based on AAFC feedback.