moved for leave to introduce Bill C-264, An Act to provide cost-of-production protection for the family farm.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Thunder Bay—Rainy River, who also supports our efforts today to speak out on behalf of farmers across the country.
The purpose of this enactment is to provide cost of production protection to family farms where the weighted average input cost of products typically produced or suited to production in a farming zone exceeds the weighted average net back to the farm gate of such products averaged over three years.
The costs, as contemplated in this bill, are to be calculated on the basis of marketable product and, thus, will take into account bad weather conditions, pests and other crop loss factors. The calculations are to be based on normal crops or livestock produced for food or breeding and are to be approved by an independent auditor, which is a very important clause of the bill.
I will take this opportunity to clarify that this enactment would not provide for support on a product-by-product basis and, therefore, is not a direct product subsidy. It is simply to provide cost of production protection to family farms in cases where the weighted average input cost of products exceeds the weighted average net back to farm gate of those same products.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)