The two men are focused on soybeans, a legume that Canada grows millions of tonnes of each year. This decreases our food sovereignty, and it also means that we lose out on potential economic gains of processing the food in Canada," the strategy says. Some groups, like Protein Industries Canada, estimate Canada could unlock $25 billion in annual GDP growth with the right investments, infrastructure and policy support for its plant-based ingredient manufacturing and food processing sector. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)Arlene Dickinson, founder of District Ventures Capital and star of CBC's Dragon's Den, has been vocal about the decline of Canadian food processing. According to the federal government, in 2024 the food and beverage processing industry employed 318,000 Canadians.