Agricultural research has been a very important factor in enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of the Canadian agri-food sector. Science and innovation have been identified as together forming one of the five pillars in the Canadian Agri-food Policy Framework (APF). A major focus of the science and innovation section of the APF is to plan to realign public and private research efforts into a more comprehensive strategic approach for research and innovation in Canada. Despite the importance of research and the need for a strategic approach, however, assessment of critical strategic research policy issues for the Canadian agri-food sector has been limited.