House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2006, with 53% of the vote.
Supply November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask a very simple question of the hon. member who just spoke about his concern for the farmers in the Peace River district. Does he know how many of the farmers in his riding opened NISA accounts? We are saying NISA should at least be a help in times as he is describing. If so, how many of those farmers did access their NISA accounts?
Supply November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I would like to clear up a misconception that was given by the member for Selkirk—Interlake when he implied that it was the government that stated this was a regional issue with western Canada.
It was a member from his party, the member for Dauphin—Swan River, who brought the topic up that this was a western concern and that eastern Canadians were fine because they had marketing boards.
I go from there to the chair of the rural caucus about that particular topic. The downturn of commodity prices is a national catastrophe. It is a national issue. Would he describe the effect of this downturn on his home province of Ontario?
Supply November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, in Prince Edward Island we have a hog industry that is in very poor shape, as it is right across Canada. As was indicated earlier, we do have a supply managed system in dairy and in other areas. This is why the marketing boards were put in place in the first place. They put order into chaos. Canadian farmers are benefiting from the forethought and the planning of previous Liberal ministers in the Government of Canada.
The situation is not as difficult as it may be in areas where a supply managed program would not work. It is difficult to have a supply managed program for grains. It is a crop that relies on exports.
In this case there is a downturn because the markets for exports in grain have diminished. The demand for pork in the Asian markets has collapsed. Therefore there is a more serious problem in the western provinces than there may be in the east. There are a lot of producers in the east, in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and in Quebec. We can look back to a few weeks ago when there were hog farmers blocking the Trans-Canada Highway.
There are problems in eastern Canada with the same commodities as there are in western Canada, even though we are more diversified. However, the west is becoming more diversified in agriculture and that is because of the programs put in place by the Liberal government.
Supply November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Athabasca quoted me out of context. What I said is that farmers are in good shape as we enter this period of depressed income in certain areas. That means we are in better shape than we would be if we had not put the programs in place that we have.
The Canadian farming community is coming off the best five years on average in the history of the country. That is not saying that all this money is in the bank waiting to be spent. But there is $2.5 billion in the NISA accounts which is put there specifically for this purpose, to access in times of a downturn in the economy whether it is a collapse of markets or a collapse of price.
We have these programs like advanced payments for crops in place. The situation would be much more difficult if these programs were not in place and if farmers had not been saving and putting money into the NISA accounts.
Supply November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on the Reform member's answer to my question that this appeared to be a western Canadian issue. I remind the official opposition that there is a beef industry in the rest of Canada. There is a hog industry in the rest of Canada. There is also a wheat board in Ontario. To say this is strictly a disaster for western Canada is misplaced.
The government supports Canada's agriculture and agri-food industry in a way that works for industry shareholders and for all Canadians. We have not abandoned our agriculture industry and we will not abandon the people who feed our nation and our planet.
The Government of Canada invests $600 million each year in safety nets for Canadian farmers. The provinces add another $400 million to that total, which means that Canada has one of the most stable and reliable farm safety net systems in the world. It is not perfect but it has been working, helping farmers to achieve stable incomes by banking money in the good years to use in the bad years.
I will not minimize the challenges facing some of Canada's producers today. Some are dealing with the fallout from fluctuations in foreign markets. Some are dealing with normal cyclical downturns in prices for some major commodities. Some are dealing with poor yields. That is why the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has called together farm group leaders and provincial ministers of agriculture for a meeting tomorrow in Ottawa.
For the past several years governments and producers have worked closely together so that today we can manage the challenges facing us. That partnership will continue at the meeting tomorrow. The current situation will be discussed as will the tools government and producers have worked to put in place to deal with this kind of situation. There are $2.5 billion in the net income stabilization accounts of farmers. These accounts were put in place to help out in situations like the one facing farmers today.
In addition to the net income stabilization account or NISA farmers can take advantage of crop insurance which protects them against losses from hail, drought or other natural disasters and is expected to pay out about $430 million this year. Farmers can also use province specific programs to which the federal government contributes $200 million. That will not stop the government from working with farmers and the provinces to explore what else can be done for farm income protection programs.
Just as we began preparing for this situation five years ago, we are preparing for the future today. We have positioned ourselves through our safety net programming to meet and manage both the foreseen and the unforeseen blips that show up from time to time on our radar screens.
The advance payments program also helps farmers manage risk by providing loan guarantees so that farmers can receive cash when they need it but still have the flexibility to negotiate the best possible price for their crops.
This program kicked in for the benefit of grain producers earlier this summer. Given the early harvest and the resulting need for cash, federal government and Canadian Wheat Board officials worked to get cash advances issued two weeks earlier than normal, a full four weeks earlier than last year.
It is important to note that farm safety net programs are not the only way in which we are supporting the agricultural industry. The government is making a number of strategic investments to help Canadian producers be competitive. These investments help to improve access to the latest technology, access to up to date and relevant industry information, and access to new markets abroad.
Our agriculture and agri-food minister was a farmer himself for many years. He knows how important research and investment are to Canada's agriculture and agri-food industry, important enough that as a country our total spending per year on research in the sector amounts to about $1 billion. The Government of Canada is the largest single contributor, investing more than $350 million annually. Much of the research is done in partnership with the private sector in programs like the matching investment initiative which helps to ensure we meet the industry's research priorities.
As a result of our activity Canada is a world leader in innovative agri-food research and farmers reap the rewards from that. Because of research producers have access to new and better crop and livestock production techniques, more environmentally and economically sound ways to manage disease and insect pests, and cutting edge technology. All these add up to a more competitive industry.
We further enhance our competitiveness through trade agreements, export and marketing programs, and export credit facilities that help farmers not only satisfy the domestic market but expand into markets abroad as well.
We are also investing in the sector in other ways that encourage farmers to diversify production and adapt to changing consumer demands. The Canadian adaptation and rural development fund is a $60 million a year fund designed to help farmers and others in the agri-food industry adapt to changing market conditions.
Farmers and other agri-food stakeholders are able to take a very hands on approach to this program. Through their participation on councils in each province and their involvement in national programs, they help to decide on the priorities and expenditures for CARD related activities.
On another front the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has been working with provincial agriculture ministers and deputy ministers to develop an investment strategy designed to improve the investment climate in Canada. This summer they agreed to focus their efforts on promoting Canada as an investment location and on securing increased investment in Canada's agriculture and agri-food industry.
Short and medium term work plans will be implemented to increase investment activity. Departmental officials will establish performance targets so that we can track progress and make sure we provide top quality service to interested investors.
The Federal-Provincial Steering Committee on Investment is continuing to work to ensure that our investment strategy is implemented and that the Canadian agri-food industry is duly consulted. I am confident that these efforts on the investment side will also contribute to a stronger agricultural sector and a better livelihood for Canadian farmers.
Farmers have made tremendous progress since we last experienced low commodity prices in the mid-1980s. They deserve credit for working hard to embrace new ways of doing business, to manage their operations better and to take advantage of the tools that governments have put in place to help them manage risk.
As a result the net worth of farmers on average has gone up. Farm assets have reached historical highs. The debt to equity ratio has been declining since 1991. This is good news. It indicates that most of our farmers are in good shape as we enter this period of depressed income in certain areas. In short, the system we have may not be perfect but an ad hoc system like the one in the United States is not the answer. Our farmers want a system that is reliable and predictable.
Our challenge now is to continue to work together to refine our system so that it meets the needs of Canadian farmers now in these difficult times and long into the future. That is exactly what we intend to do.
Supply November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Dauphin—Swan River for his remarks.
The member comes from a province with the most diversified agricultural base in western Canada, and people have done a lot in that regard. They do not rely on one or two crops. They are very diversified these days. They are even growing a lot of potatoes. They are in competition with my province.
He has brought up individual situations. I would like to have his comments on the fact that the government has to take into consideration the suffering of all farmers and the different commodities across Canada. We cannot take an ad hoc approach and simply write a cheque today. We have to look at the statistics and we have to look at individuals on an individual basis to ascertain who is most in need and who has been taking advantage of the NISA program.
This is going to take a little time. I do not think the hon. member wants us to sit down tonight, write a cheque and send it to Manitoba. The government has to get in touch with its provincial counterparts, with the producers in those provinces and in those commodities and do what is right.
I would like to know if the member agrees with that way of doing things.
Supply November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for her speech. There are a few things I think should be clarified when it comes to the scrapie situation. The standing committee had extensive hearings on scrapie.
The minister and the department had very close productive discussions with sheep producers in Quebec on the situation they had and the situation with scrapie as far as improvements made to the program being very substantial.
In addition to that, I think something we always forget is that the federal government has transferred $200 million to the province of Quebec which chose to spend that money in a different way. Rather than have it for disaster relief, Quebec chose to spend it on price support. When there was nothing to sell because of the disease, the producers were not getting anything.
We have to put some blame on the producers themselves and on the provincial government, which chose to spend the transfers from the federal government in a different way.
If that had been spent differently or if the provincial government now decides to maybe reconsider how to dispense with the transfers, not just in sheep but in hogs and in other livestock, we could have a better program, a NISA type program for the province of Quebec.
Committees Of The House November 2nd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 109 I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the government's response to the third report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food entitled “Capturing the Advantage: Agricultural Biotechnology in the New Millennium”, which was tabled in the House of Commons on June 9, 1998.
Generation Xx Youth Centre October 22nd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the Generation XX Youth Centre in Summerside has just won the 1998 Commonwealth Youth Service Award.
The Generation XX Youth Centre provides a gathering place and programming for youth in a drug and alcohol free environment. The centre was developed by a group of young people under the guidance of Constable Mike Rioux of the Summerside police force.
Together they took an old building which in an earlier life had been a curling club and a trade school and through hard work and dedication to the cause transformed it into a concert hall and Atlantic Canada's only indoor skateboarding facility.
The whole concept originated when a group of teenagers hanging out in a Tim Horton's parking lot was asked to leave by the local police. This was followed by the question “Where do you want us to go?”
Constable Rioux then realized the problem. There was no place for teenagers in Summerside to go. The rest, as they say, is history.
Congratulations to the young people, manager Gordie Whitlock and their mentor, Constable Rioux.
Agriculture September 25th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member has stated, the minister held rural dialogue workshops across the country over the past number of months.
There will be a national workshop held in Belleville on October 2 to 4 where the results of these workshops will be presented. As far as having the input that was picked up over the summer from these workshops really show results, the minister and all ministers of the House should attend the national conference in Belleville to make sure something will happen from the work we are doing.