Major shortages in the Canadian agriculture workforce persist, as discussed last week at the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Workforce Summit in Winnipeg.

Mark Chambers of Sunterra Farms has been a part of the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Workforce Action Plan for the past four years. He spoke at the summit, saying part of the problem is unemployed people are unwilling to move to rural areas for jobs — but he feels government barriers aren't helping.

Chambers, who is originally from England, says it was just as hard for him to move into the country as it was to later move interprovincially from Alberta to Ontario.

"You've got to get a different driver's license — same country, but you've got to have a different driver's license — I've got to pay for a different plate on my car, I've got to get an emissions test on my car," he says, "then there's the healthcare system. That becomes complicated because we have to wait three months before we're enrolled in the Ontario health system, so then we have to go back to the Alberta health system. Man, talk about making it complicated to mobilize the workforce."

Chambers also thinks part of the problem in the workforce gap is a lack of interest in joining the agriculture sector. He thinks in order to build an interest, it's important for kids to learn the correct facts about farming at a young age in school.