Mr. Speaker, we have talked about a lot of issues today but the main thing which was pointed out by the member from the NDP is that this is a Canadian issue from coast to coast. All farmers are being affected by this. The problems as we see them are that we are facing the lowest commodity prices in years and farm incomes have dropped right off the table. There are some reasons for this.
We have border disputes which are mainly due to poor regulations and losses at the trade table. Farmers are not allowed to compete fairly with choice in the market. We are facing unfair subsidies by the EU and U.S. governments. The government has not helped, as I mentioned, at the trade tables. The NISA program is not sufficient and was not designed to handle this magnitude of a problem across Canada. This government has been unprepared and unwilling to come forward and admit that there is a problem. There are high freight costs across the country and our transportation system is in disarray.
Our motion points out some things that the Reform Party proposes could be done to rectify the problem.
Canadian farmers are facing some of the toughest times they have seen in 30 years. Farmers are accustomed to having to deal with the cyclical patterns of the markets. However, prices of nearly all major farm commodities are down drastically and not just down seriously.
Farmers are worried about the border trade disputes, whether they will have enough cash to seed next spring, even whether they will have enough cash to pay their bills at the end of this year. When farmers cannot pay their bills, it has far-reaching effects right across our economy. Gross farm income continues to decline yet input prices continue to rise. How are our farmers supposed to survive? What is at the root of these problems? There are many things but I will try to elaborate on a few.
There are American and European farmers who seek massive subsidies from their governments. European farmers are having a record year. American farmers are in line for nearly a $6 billion handout and they will receive tax breaks, something that we have been requesting for many, many years. Give our Canadian taxpayers a break.
This government has not offered Canadian farmers any of these things. Canada has been very diligent in cutting off its subsidies when it comes to agriculture. The government has repeatedly thrown Canadian farmers to the wolves, all in the name of WTO.
This government has not protected our farmers. Our farmers are the ones who put food on the table for every Canadian and they do it with a passion. Canadian farming is not just a business, it is a way of life. It is a way of life that is unique and important to Canada.
As a result of cutting the Crow rate, producers have had to absorb the full cost of freight which is sometimes as high as 33% of the cost of production. Railway lines have been abandoned. Producers who 20 years ago had to pay for the upgrading of railway lines are now facing the prospect of these same lines closing. The government is so short-sighted that it does not realize the implications of this. It does not understand that a huge increase in truck traffic will require a huge increase in road upkeep.
The Canadian government collects $2.7 billion in fuel taxes from the four western provinces, yet it only returns $35 million. These taxes are supposed to be used for road maintenance, but most of it disappears into general revenue. The roads in this country will be ground into dust if the government does not return the money that has been sucked out of the provinces.
In my area, the intensive livestock area, the fact that the infrastructure cannot handle the switch that the farmers have made into intensive livestock is the subject of much debate. They are paying money every time they start their vehicle through fuel taxes, but that money is not being returned to upkeep the infrastructure.
The government has no comprehensive plan to deal with this situation. NISA is not the answer. As has been pointed out, many of the NISA accounts have $1,000 in them and the average account is $18,000. That does not go very far in paying a farmer's bills.
The Reform Party supports our farmers. It has consistently been the voice for the man in the field. This government has shown that time and time again it does not care about farmers. It has been in power for over five years and has done nothing to improve the lot of our agriculture community. This government is in control of the next budget. When will it make agriculture a priority?
