*Please see bios below to know which one of us you should chat with today!

Our vision: Driving innovation and ingenuity to build a world leading agricultural and food economy for the benefit of all Canadians.

Our mission: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada provides leadership in the growth and development of a competitive, innovative and sustainable Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.

Our responsibilities: The activities of the Department range from the farmer to the consumer, from the farm to global markets, through all phases of producing, processing and marketing of farm, food and bio-based products. Agriculture is also a shared jurisdiction in Canada, and the Department works closely with provincial and territorial governments in the development and delivery of policies and programs.

The Department is also responsible for ensuring collaboration with its portfolio partners which are also involved in regulating and supporting Canadian agriculture.

As one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is proud to celebrate our achievements in creating a diverse, respectful, and positive workplace where all employees are valued and recognized for their unique qualities, ideas, voices and perspectives. Our five Diversity and Inclusion Networks (Gender and Sexual Diversity Inclusiveness Network, the Persons with Disabilities Network, the Indigenous Network Circle, the Visible Minorities Network and the Women in Science Network) advance awareness, contribute to departmental initiatives and provide a safe space and mentorship for their members. By embracing diversity and inclusion, our department ensures broader discussions, better decisions, and a more positive workplace.

View this video to learn how Canada's agricultural and agri-food sector is poised for continued success and how YOU can make a difference!

Who should you chat with? Take a look at our bios below to give you the best idea on who you should connect with today :)

Are you interested in learning more about our Research Centre and the type of jobs offered in our Science and Technology Branch. Chat with Rahat, Justin, José or Nilusha

Dr. Rahat Zaheer is a Biologist at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). She obtained her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in year 2000 from Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, Pakistan. Specifically, her thesis project included molecular characterization of gram positive bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) through gene(s) cloning, DNA sequencing, protein expression and characterizing the insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins with toxicity against insect pests of agricultural importance. She joined the Department of Biology at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, in 2002 and completed a 2-year postdoc where she studied functional genomics of nitrogen fixing bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti. She continues a microbiology and genomics research & undergrad teaching position at McMaster University for another 6 years. She joined AAFC- Lethbridge in 2010 and worked as a lead scientist in projects on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in veterinary/zoonotic pathogens including generic and Shiga-toxin producing E. coli, Enterococcus, bacterial and viral pathogens of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in beef cattle as part of animal health and safety across One-Health continuum before assuming a position at the National Microbiology laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) as head of Bacterial Genomics group in the Bioinformatics Section, Science Technology Core and Services Division. Rahat joined back at AAFC – Lethbridge in 2016 where she continues to work as a lead biologist on AMR projects. Using microbial, molecular, genetic, genomics and metagenomics approaches, her research focuses on investigating AMR in zoonotic pathogens and livestock-associated bacteria posing a direct or indirect threat to human health and understanding the ecological linkages between antimicrobial use and AMR in livestock production, environment and humans in One-Health scenario. Her areas of expertise include environmental microbiology, AMR, molecular genetics, genomics & metagenomics, next generation sequencing, functional metagenomics, bioinformatics, gene regulation & expression, reverse vaccinology, immunology. Her research work has been thoroughly published in peer-reviewed scientific journals (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=tYAk4qAAAAAJ&hl=en). If you would like to learn more about her research or the AAFC science technology branch in general – don’t hesitate to contact Rahat.

Dr. Nilusha Malmuthuge is a newly recruited research scientist within AAFC's Science and Technology Branch. Nilusha can share her experience in transitioning from a postdoctoral research fellow to a research a scientist at AAFC and what it takes to work from home to establish a new research program. She obtained her MSc and PhD at the University of Alberta and worked at Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (Saskatoon) as a Banting Fellow. You can talk to Nilusha on how to specialize in an unconventional research area such as omics and how to smoothly switch your career in various disciplines. If you want to know the secret behind work life balance during early career, Nilusha has ideas! 

Dr. Justin Pahara is a nanotechnology Research Scientist at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre.  Justin is building a cross-disciplinary nanotechnology research program that crosses into other disciplines such as synthetic biology, crop science, and entomology. Nanotechnology development involves using chemistry to build really small structures that are often 1000 times smaller than the thickness of a single hair. These tiny “nanomachines” can be designed to do amazing things and are very applicable to agriculture research and development. If you’re interested in learning about some of the really cool things that are being built by amazing Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research teams, nanotechnology and beyond, start a chat with me.

Dr. José Ortiz Guluarte (Mexico) is a veterinarian with a Masters in Veterinary Science and a Science Doctorate in Agricultural Science. Currently enrolled as a postdoctoral fellow working in Bovine respiratory and gastric microbiome and member of the LeRDC Animal Care Committee. He is responsible for designing different animal procedures and experimental protocols to study the relationship between changes in the microbiota and common bovine diseases.

Are you enrolled in an IT program? Chat with Brenda about student opportunities this year within her IT Client Services team!

Brenda: I recently joined the support team in Alberta as the team lead in January 2020.  Prior to taking on this challenge, I held various roles within IT Client Services division in the Information Systems Branch, most recently on a six month assignment with our software team improving service delivery workflow to provide clients a better experience and reducing wait times.  Prior to the assignment, I spent 10 years on the IT service management team as the acting manager and in the ITIL disciplines of continual service improvement and service design.  I transferred to AAFC in 2006 from another government department where I was part of the ‘newly formed’ IT team to implement the network infrastructure and changing the way forward for the employees to transition to working on computers as part of their daily responsibilities. 

Relocating during the pandemic has been an experience to say the least!  However, the opportunity allowed me to see how quickly we could adapt as government and as IT client services to continue offering a means to support our clients as well as moving technology forward with various technical solutions and platforms.

What do we do? My team is responsible for the direct support for all employees, contractors and students working at all the Agriculture Canada sites throughout Alberta for all the hardware and software needs and troubleshooting connectivity issues.  In some cases, this means travelling to other sites to support clients when necessary as staff are only physically located in Lethbridge and Lacombe.  Utilizing many remote tools and automated processes, we ensure both hardware and software functions at optimal performances and client requests are fulfilled in a timely manner.  Adhoc and informal training is part of daily activities as is troubleshooting functionality, coordinating with project teams on new initiatives, evergreening hardware, liaising with colleagues within AAFC as well as other government departments and agencies to highlight a few of key roles and responsibilities.

If you love change and thrive in a changing environment, then this is the team for you!

Do you have questions about AAFC in general, how to apply to the government, FSWEP or Co-op, or Human Resources? Chat with Kelly or Sophie!

Kelly and Sophie are both HR Advisors with our Recruitment and Collaborative Staffing team. They help managers recruit top talent at events like this one! Kelly joined the Federal Government in 2016 in an administrative role then became an HR advisor in 2017. She has been with AAFC since August of 2018. Kelly is the recruitment advisor for our IT branch, so feel free to ask her questions on this as well! Sophie has been with AAFC for 1 year and has been working in HR within the Public Service for 13 years!

Interested in learning more about our Indigenous Programs? Start a chat with Ally, Jackie, Erle or Savannah!

The Indigenous Student Recruitment Initiative (ISRI) offers meaningful and rewarding employment to Indigenous university, college, and high school students. AAFC provides students with the opportunity to work in a supportive team environment and gain essential knowledge and skills with the goal of facilitating an ISRI student's potential entry into the Public Service.

Additionally, ISRI is supported by the Indigenous Support and Awareness Office (ISAO) which was developed to support Indigenous participation in agriculture. They do this by; enhancing the recruitment and retention of Indigenous employees, creating awareness and learning opportunities, and building Western science-Indigenous knowledge partnerships with Indigenous communities. 

Jackie is the Manager of the Indigenous Support and Awareness Office. Jackie joined Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada (AAFC) in May 1999 coming over from Canada Revenue Agency.  Jackie has held many management positions, from managing a staff of 100 processors delivering farm income stability programs to  coordinating the development of a three year Strategic Plan for the Farm Income Programs Directorate. Jackie has also done extensive work with the National Management Community (NMC), giving her an opportunity to work on issues pertaining to the management community across the federal government. During her assignment with the NMC as the Executive Director, she oversaw Blueprint 2020 national activities and provided a supporting role to the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer during the development and roll out of the Performance Management Initiative. Jackie has been a member of the department’s Indigenous Network Circle for a number of years, believing in the value it brings to the department’s Indigenous Community.  Jackie is a founding member of the Anola Metis Local and has held the position of  Chair and Vice Chair for the past 7 years.  Last fall, Jackie was honored by her community when they asked her to take on the role as Elder for the community.  Jackie was proud to accept this role and has taken her responsibilities seriously as she recognizes the significance and importance it has for her community.  

Savannah is a recent graduate of the University of Ottawa and is currently a Student Councilor with Agriculture Canada’s Indigenous Student Recruitment Initiative (ISRI).  She began working with Agriculture Canada as a student in 2017 through this initiative which she is now an alumni from. Savannah is swampy cree from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and has grown up on Maliseet territory, in New Brunswick.

Erle is the Indigenous Student Recruitment Initiative (ISRI) Student Mentor and Councilor for Western Canada, and provides assistance for the rest of Canada. He has been with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for 24 years. Presently situated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is Anishinabek from Manitoba’s Northern Interlake region. It is his job to speak with new and returning students and recruit new students into Agriculture Canada. He also meets with Universities, Indigenous Communities and Education Authorities across Canada. When a student joins AAFC, he is available for council at all times if the student requires someone to talk to. 

Ally is currently doing a Masters in Native Studies at the University of Manitoba while also working at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). She was hired through the Indigenous Student Recruitment Initiative (ISRI) and is working for the Indigenous Support and Awareness Office (ISAO). She previously worked with AAFC during her undergrad and returned again when she decided to go grad school. She has worked both full time and part-time while being a student and is available to answer any and all questions about the Department, the program, and balancing work and school.

"ISRI has been such a life-changing program for me. I started with zero knowledge about the Public Service and the ways in which it operates, and have come to learn so much. They have taught me how to behave and work in a professional setting, write an email, and be a good co-worker and team player - amongst many other skills. It was truly one of the best decisions I have made." - current student with ISRI