Bill S-227

Food Day in Canada Act

An Act to establish Food Day in Canada

This enactment designates the Saturday before the first Monday in August in each and every year as “Food Day in Canada”.

Food Day in Canada Act

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

moved that the bill be read the third time and passed.

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure and a privilege to rise in the House this morning, on a wonderful Monday morning, to start the week on a positive note and begin debate at third reading of Bill S-227, the food day in Canada act.

I would like to begin by thanking the members of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for quickly passing this bill at committee stage without amendment and sending it back to this House for the final stage of its legislative journey. I hope, and I suspect, that we will have no problem in getting Bill S-227 passed in the very near future, but certainly before we rise for the summer, so that this year, on August 5, we can mark the first official nationwide food day in Canada.

I know that all those involved with this bill would like to see it passed in time for the 20th anniversary of the original world's longest barbecue, which happened in Elora under the organization of the late Anita Stewart in 2003. It was organized to help Canadian beef farmers during the bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow crisis in that long, difficult summer of 2003.

As I often mention in this House and in other places, I am so proud to represent what I believe is one of the most vibrant agricultural ridings in Canada, if not the most vibrant.

When I spoke to Bill S-227 at second reading last fall, during what was Ontario Agriculture Week, I explained how it was the late Anita Stewart's vision and how she used her passion for Canadian food to bring hope to the Canadian beef industry in that terrible summer 20 years ago.

Although beef is often associated with southern Alberta, we have a proud beef industry in Ontario as well. In fact, in Perth—Wellington alone, there are more than 530 beef farmers. I would like to give a special shout-out to Perth County Beef Farmers and the Wellington County Cattlemen's Association for their support and continued advocacy for local farmers and farm families in the beef industry.

One of the many ways in which local organizations support beef farmers in my riding is the Optimist Club's beef barbecue in Alma. Alma is located just a hop, skip and a jump from Elora, where Anita Stewart's first longest barbecue event was hosted 20 years ago. Of course, the Alma Optimist Club's beef barbecue is synonymous with Ruth and Ray Grose from Alma, who, prior to their passing, had always been big proponents of this great event.

Perth—Wellington is also the home of the most dairy farmers and chicken farmers of any electoral district across Canada. What is more, there are hundreds of farmers and farm families in almost every major agricultural sector, including poultry, egg, pork and grains, including corn and soybeans. The farmers in Perth—Wellington number over 5,000 and they quite literally grow the food that continues along the agri-food supply chain to feed not only my constituents but hungry mouths across Canada and around the world.

This bill and this day were not my idea, nor were they the original idea of Wellington County senator Robert Black. It was the idea and the vision of agriculture advocate and food activist Anita Stewart. What was originally a great event to support Canadian beef farmers and to promote locally grown food has now grown into an annual event that celebrates the rich heritage and proud traditions that are Canadian cuisine.

In her 2008 book, Anita Stewart's Canada: The Food, the Recipes, the Stories, Anita opens with this message:

Canadian cuisine is a menu of stories—a land of ultimate culinary possibilities! The richness and biodiversity of the indigenous harvest, our Original Palate, is the foundation of it all. Built solidly upon that base are our iconic ingredients—wheat, beef, apples—enriching and embroidering the culinary traditions of a multitude of immigrant groups who have gathered together from the four corners of the globe, men and women with a passion for this land which they now call “home”.

After five centuries or so, the real food of Canada is still largely found in the home kitchens scattered across the land, in our beautiful rural communities and in our ever-expanding vibrant cities. Likewise, our food producers are spread from ocean to ocean. Our collective challenge is to build and nurture the connection between those producers and consumers, urban and rural.

By being attentive to our food sources, not only do we keep the cash flowing for our producers but we also enable them to maintain and nurture diversity, creating a fabulous edible shopping list for us now and, even more important, for future generations.

So, join the party! Head to a market, buy local, go home, and cook with the rhythms of the seasons. Be true to your own culinary story. It's really that simple.

In that beautiful message, Anita Stewart describes not only the food of our nation, but also her life's work. Most importantly, it leaves behind powerful words and advice that all Canadians should carry, now that she is gone.

In that same cookbook, there is a picture of a farmer's laneway in Wellington County. It is a simple yet powerful reminder of where so much of our food comes from and how growing food is not only essential to sustain life, but it is also a way of life for so many farm families in Perth—Wellington and across Canada. It is for such dedicated advocacy for Canadian food that Anita Stewart would become a member of the Order of Canada, the founder of Cuisine Canada, and Canada's first food laureate at the University of Guelph.

In her life and in her book, she is so very effective at preserving the connection between a recipe and the farmers, fishers and hunters who produced and provided the ingredients. Whether they are indigenous, whether their families have lived here for generations or whether they are now new Canadians, they all build those connections.

In fact, just this past weekend, I enjoyed attending an event hosted by the Monkton Lions Club in support of relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees. Celebrating Orthodox Easter this past weekend, the Shtovba family invited community members in Monkton to participate and enjoy local food made according to Ukrainian traditions. We also enjoyed the ability to try our best at making pysanky, which is a Ukrainian Easter egg. I want to thank the Shtovba family for sharing that legacy with the community in Monkton, a community of about 200 or 300 in rural southern Ontario.

As we reach the final stages before passing this bill and seeing it receive royal assent, let us think about everyone along the food supply chain who contributes to making Canadian cuisine so wonderful. From the dairy farmer who is up before dawn for the early-morning milking to the grain farmer who prays for rain at the right time and works tirelessly to get their crops planted in time, to the farm families in beef, chicken, egg, pork, fruits, vegetables and every sector of Canadian agriculture, to every vendor at local farmers' markets, to the truck drivers, butchers, bakers, chefs and the friendly local grocers, they all work hard to not only feed us but enrich our national culture.

I am personally very proud to have grown up on our family farm in Logan Township. Our family farm was first bought by my grandfather in 1952. At that time, he used his Harley-Davidson motorcycle as a down payment for our family farm. I was proud, in my high school years, to work both on family farms in the community and also in the agriculture industry. My wife Justine's family farm, which she grew up on, was a century farm, in the Mogk family for over 100 years. For us, it is important that our own children appreciate and learn about their rural roots and the food that we grow right here at home.

As a father, I enjoy taking our children to many local farmers' markets, picking out produce grown quite literally by our neighbours, and then taking it home and preparing a meal together as a family. I should note that in that food preparation, there are certain parts I am simply not permitted to partake in. Ainsley, Bennett and Caroline, our three children, will say that I am not allowed to barbecue because “Daddy will simply burn it.”

Too often in our busy world, we rush through meals because we need to eat and move on to the next event in our busy schedules, but we must also remember, from time to time, to think about all the people who contribute to our food system and the cultural significance of the food that is grown.

I want to briefly thank many of the people who have contributed to the advancement of Bill S-227 and to food day in Canada more generally. While the bill stands in my name in this place, it is not my bill. The success of this legislation is the result of many people inside and outside of Parliament, who deserve to be thanked.

First and foremost, I thank Anita Stewart's four sons, Jeff, Brad, Mark and Paul, for their incredible support in helping us honour their mother's proud legacy. Thanks also go out to the current head of Food Day Canada, Crystal Mackay, for sharing her knowledge and expertise. I thank the University of Guelph's Dr. Charlotte Yates and the university's department of food science for their efforts in keeping Food Day Canada strong these past 20 years.

I would also like to thank the member for Wellington—Halton Hills and the member for Guelph, who have provided a strong Wellington County united force in seeing this bill advance to the finish line.

I would like to thank the member for Foothills, the member for Berthier—Maskinongé, the member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford and the member for Chatham-Kent—Leamington, who have all contributed to the discussion on this bill thus far in this place and in committee. Even if we cannot agree on who represents the greatest agricultural riding in Canada, we can all agree that Canadian agriculture is great and that we should we pass this bill as quickly as possible.

Of course, I would like to thank the Hon. Rob Black, who sponsored this bill in the other place and who has been a driving force behind the bill and celebrating Food Day Canada.

As I wrap up my remarks, I look forward to seeing Bill S-227 passed as soon as possible, and I invite all hon. members to join us in Wellington County, in Perth County or in any community across Canada this summer as we honour Anita Stewart's legacy and celebrate the first official food day across Canada.

I would like to end with the wise words of the late Anita Stewart, who said, “This food is Canada's natural wonder, rivalling any on earth. Hand in hand, we are privileged to bear witness to the extraordinary story of Canadian cuisine, its history and how it came to be. As a people, we are so young that our collective memory is intact. Restaurants may set benchmarks of excellence, and at times, even inspiration, but it is the dishes in this book from generations of home kitchens that define us as a culinary nation. Canada, the second largest nation on earth, was built on a foundation of honest, generous cooking. There is not just one Canadian cuisine; there are hundreds, depending upon ethnicity, climate and history. Our national cuisine is ultimately based in the land and the sea. It is defined by a mindset, a philosophy, an attitude, and it uses ingredients to speak volumes about the glorious culinary history of Canada. The world is truly richer for it.”

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Madam Speaker, as a foodie myself, I thank the hon. member for joining the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food and putting forward this bill. In my riding of Mississauga—Streetsville, there are many small businesses and restaurants that are part of our thriving food industry. Can the hon. member share what benefits this bill would have for them?

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Mississauga—Streetsville for supporting this bill at committee. She hits an important note. There are many great agricultural ridings across Canada where primary production takes place, but in larger urban centres, there is also the importance of the food industry, whether through farmers' markets, local grocers or food production by restaurants and caterers. This bill would give us the opportunity to celebrate all parts of Canadian food from field to fork. Whether it be in rural ridings like Perth—Wellington or Beauce, or in Mississauga—Streetsville, we have the ability to celebrate Canadian food and all parts of the food supply chain.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and the bill he is sponsoring in the House. I think it is necessary to enshrine the importance of food in legislation.

I would like to hear his thoughts. We are passing good legislation that outlines great principles, but what does my colleague make of the fact that our agricultural community is currently sounding the alarm?

Last week, the UPA released another statement in which it mentioned that nearly one in 10 farms are considering ceasing operations over the coming year if there is no liquidity support to help farmers deal with the rising interest rates.

How does my colleague interpret the government's inaction? Does he, like me, think that these people deserve, at least, to have a positive response?

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am very worried about the state of agriculture in Canada. I often hear farmers and their families in my riding talk about their concerns.

There are many concerns I hear regularly from folks in my riding and across the country about the growing costs associated with production, whether it be the carbon tax, inflation or fertilizer tariffs. These are real concerns.

The member mentioned the growing number of farmers who are looking to get out of the industry in the next 10 years, those farmers who are looking to retirement and are not having that opportunity to pass on to the next generation a strong and proud family tradition of family farms. I am very concerned, like the member for Berthier—Maskinongé, about where agriculture goes from here.

Yes, this bill is a symbolic bill, but it is one opportunity for us to promote and defend the agriculture and agri-food industry, to stand up for farmers and farm families and to make sure agriculture remains not only a way of life but also the economic driver of our economy that it has been in the past and that I hope it will continue to be in the future.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, this is a time when food prices are skyrocketing in this country and food insecurity is becoming more and more of a challenge. I wonder if the member could share with the House how this bill might be able to advance food security in the country.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Madam Speaker, food insecurity is a real concern I hear about in my riding. In a country as economically rich as Canada, where we have, quite literally, some of the most productive land in the world and where we produce high-quality Canadian food, the fact that there are still Canadians living food-insecure is an exceptionally unfortunate situation.

I would like to draw attention to groups in my riding, like the local community food centre, working so hard to end food insecurity and to ensure there are options in place so Canadians will not be missing meals and will have opportunity. They have provided me with such great guidance over the years on bills that have come before the House and on options we need to undertake going forward to ensure that no Canadian is food-insecure and that all Canadians are able to have the healthy and nutritious food that we, quite literally, produce in our own backyards.

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to express the government's full support of Bill S-227, an act to establish food day in Canada. I thank the hon. member for Perth—Wellington for sponsoring this bill in support of the core economic sectors in our country: agriculture and food.

Food Day Canada is already Canada's culinary event of the year. Every Saturday of the long weekend in August, chefs, restauranteurs, food processors and Canadians from across the country gather to celebrate the best food and beverages in the world.

This bill would officially recognize that day in federal legislation. It would establish the first-ever national day to recognize that the federal government celebrates our farmers, food processors, and the entire agriculture and food sector across the country. Food day in Canada would strengthen the connections between consumers and farmers by celebrating the richness and diversity of the safe, high-quality local foods they produce.

We need to remind Canadians of the important contributions of Canadian agriculture and the food sector to the country's economic, social, health and environmental well-being. Across Canada, our food producers and processors drive our economy with more than $130 billion in GDP and over $80 billion in exports, and they account for one in nine jobs.

Food day in Canada would also remind us of the contributions to the consumer's plate of all the workers in agriculture, the agri-food sector and the farm gate. Over the past two years of the pandemic, farmers have really stepped up to ensure Canadians have the safe, high-quality local foods they need. The pandemic also renewed Canadians' commitment to the amazing local foods and beverages produced by our farmers and processors.

Over 90% of Canadians support seeking locally grown food at least some of the time, to support the local economy and to reduce the environmental impact or food miles. The creation of national food day would be an excellent way to strengthen ties between the farm and the city limits. From a warm strawberry right off the field in Ontario to an Alberta steak on a patio, the foods we love best are the foods that are closest to us. More and more, consumers today want to know where their food is coming from and how it is grown and raised. They want to reconnect with agriculture and support local economies.

By the same token, the agriculture and food sector has much to gain by strengthening its relationship with its customers. Forging direct links with Canadians can help support a dialogue on what matters to consumers and what the sector is doing. This can help ensure consumers are making informed decisions and can help shape the investments made by the sector to continuously improve production practices.

Along the way, I think many consumers would be impressed to see the advances made on Canadian farms in recent years. Gone are the days of pitchforks and horse-drawn plows. Farmers are using smart technologies to improve efficiency and to adopt a more sustainable farming practice. Technology has opened up a whole new world for food and farming, just as it has in other sectors of the economy. Precision agriculture techniques now allow pinpoint delivery of inputs, like water and fertilizer, down to the individual plants that need it. Not only does this save the farmer money, but it also takes the pressure off the environment because fewer inputs are needed. Farmers are now using drones to detect pests, identify areas that are nutrient-deficient and locate weeds. The sky is the limit for this technology.

Farmers have also made many advancements in the field of animal health and food safety. Many farms have strict biosecurity measures. For example, access to hog farms is governed by a shower-in, shower-out rule to protect the animals' health. The responsible use of animal-health products is another way farmers keep animals healthy while ensuring food safety.

Farmers take food safety seriously because it is fundamental to their business. More than ever, customers in Canada and abroad want to know where their food came from, how it was produced, what its environmental footprint was and whether the animals were well treated.

Public trust and confidence are precious, but they can be shattered in seconds by a single tweet. We know that we have to find new ways to strengthen our relationship with our consumers. That is why this bill to support food day in Canada is so important.

Yesterday, the government took another step to strengthen trust in Canadian food when we launched the agricommunication initiative. Agricommunication is all about better connecting Canadians with the agricultural sector. Agricommunication will help farmers tell Canadians their stories about how they are caring for our environment, caring for their animals and doubling down on sustainable practices. The initiative will help us gather more information to deepen producers' knowledge about the expectations of consumers. In that way, they can adapt to the changing demands of consumers here in Canada and around the world.

The first stream of the agricommunication initiative is backed by a federal investment of up to $8 million over three years. This funding is helping the sector to inform Canadians about the great things producers are doing to produce their food in a sustainable way. Farmers have incredible stories to tell with respect to innovation, sustainability, productivity and so much more.

Sustainability is not only about the environment but also about competitiveness. For example, funding could help an organization develop digital communications to show consumers how farmers are fighting climate change through crop rotation and clean technology. It could help a non-profit organization host a field day to show the public how producers are caring for their animals or how well they look after their soil and water. It could help promote inspiring success stories about agricultural leaders.

Our government wholeheartedly supports food day in Canada to recognize the safety and security of our food supply, strengthen the connections from farm to table, support local farmers and celebrate our amazing local food.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is clearly in favour of establishing a food day. It was a pleasure to address this in committee, and it passed within minutes. It is not controversial.

The bill states that “Canada’s national sovereignty is dependent on the safety and security of our food supply”, that it “contributes to our nation’s social, environmental and economic well-being”, that it is important to support local farmers and that local foods need to be celebrated. All that is wonderful.

Unfortunately, I will be a bit of a killjoy this morning, because it is just lip service. Yes, we will vote in favour of the bill because it is important to establish this day. I think that we will be able to use it as a springboard for future initiatives; however, in reality, our agricultural industry is currently suffering. In response to the significant inflationary pressure, the Union des producteurs in Quebec and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture sent out messages and letters and expressly asked for meetings. Their requests were very, very reasonable and based on facts and data. They even made pre-budget requests, because they know how things work. They know when they need to do this.

There was very little in the budget; next to nothing, in fact. There was some clarification about Bill C-208 on farm succession after more than a year of waiting and more than a year of frozen transactions, especially in Quebec. That takes time. That was positive, but as for the rest, all we got were vague figures and the continuation of existing programs that barely work or are not working at all. I will provide some statistics. The people at UPA explained it for us.

The cost of inputs has risen by 43.3% overall, but in agriculture, it is up 69%. Inflation has risen by 55.4% on average, but in agriculture, it is up 64%. That refers to the cost of everything required to produce food. The increase in interest rates and the cost of debt servicing comes to 36.9% overall, but 58.5% in agriculture, because farms have a high debt load. As the previous speaker mentioned, gone are the days of pitchforks; Technologies have evolved and farmers now need tractors, which are expensive. We see farmers working in their fields and we think they are doing fine, but they still have not paid off their equipment. These producers are going into debt to feed us. I really want people to start understanding that, believing it and taking appropriate action.

The costs do not stop there. Transportation costs have risen by 33% in other sectors, but 49.9% in agriculture. Insurance costs have increased by 31.7% overall, but 49.6 % in agriculture. The list goes on. Things have reached a point where two out of 10 farm businesses are now in poor or very poor financial shape. We are talking about 20% of farms. Five out of 10 farm businesses expect their financial situation to deteriorate in the next twelve months. Three out of 10 businesses have a negative residual balance. Things are not going well. Four out of 10 farm businesses report that rising interest rates could prevent them from meeting their financial obligations. For some, this will mean shutting down. More than six out of 10 businesses plan to reduce or delay investments because they are straining just to keep up with their payments. In this kind of situation, investing is out of the question. The government wants these businesses to invest money and says it will help them, but they are tapped out. To grasp the reality of this situation, we have to see what is happening on the ground.

A total of 18% of businesses are considering asking their financial institution for a capital holiday. Do members understand what it means to request a capital holiday from a financial institution? It means that things are going so badly for the business that it will only pay the interest on its loans. What a great future for agricultural production. I think that, as a federal government, we have a role to play in that. I think that we could meet the needs and boost cash flow. What is more, 14% of farms plan to reduce the size of their business because they cannot deliver. Here is the most troubling statistic: 11% of farms plan to cease operations or close their doors. That is more than one in 10 farms.

We are mainly talking here about young farmers, the ones we talk about with a tear in our eye, while saying they are so great and wonderful. Perhaps it is time for us to show them how great and wonderful they really are by helping them. Farming is an ongoing, daily struggle, and we, as elected officials, need to have the utmost respect for these people who work seven days a week.

Given the current shortage of workers in almost every sector, let us survey agricultural businesses to find out who is interested in taking over the farm, in working seven days a week, 12 months a year. Let us find out who is interested in living in uncertainty with little support from governments and in being forced to compete with foreign products that do not meet the same standards.

I do not know how many times we have talked about reciprocity of standards. I want to give a shout-out to my colleague from Beauce, who is leading this fight with me at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. He often raises this issue. Something needs to be done. We cannot ask our farmers to meet very strict standards yet also let in junk. When they talk about increasing the level of glyphosate in food—like they did last year—when none of our local farmers asked for it, they are sending a very clear message, namely that we will adapt to international standards. That way, people can bring in stock with more junk than our farmers' products. Can we be serious for 30 seconds, impose the same requirements and support our people?

Chicken farmers have created a DNA test. It has been around for years, it works and it is ready to go. Why is it not in place yet? The DNA test determines whether the poultry coming in is spent fowl or fresh chicken. There is cheating in international trade. Trade is wonderful; we all need to trade, but that has to be a rigorous process.

We must not forget the most important part. There have been plenty of positive speeches and gestures here in the House of Commons, including overwhelming support from 293 members who voted in favour of the bill to protect supply management in future trade agreements. That is significant. All political parties and the vast majority of MPs supported it. Only 23 people opposed it. However, now the bill is stuck in committee. There is an obvious intent to hijack the bill, and some members are filibustering. They keep talking to kill time. Everyone's time is being wasted.

I would also point out that this is coming from a political party that is always talking about government spending. They have good reason to talk about government spending, but it is important to stop and think for a second about what it costs to have a committee meeting where the same person talks for two hours, delaying a crucial bill that we passed in 2021 but had to start over again because an election was called. Although some progress has been made and we are at roughly the same stage, the bill is currently stuck.

I do not really want to hear anyone say that the bill is going to pass anyway. Are we serious about supporting our producers? Our producers are watching us and watching the public committee meetings. They are not happy. They want transparency and honesty when it comes to support, and they want concrete action. My colleagues know that it is important to protect food security. I talk a lot about food resilience, food sovereignty. It really is important.

In closing, I would like to remind all my colleagues how much this reality hit home during the pandemic. This is a very serious issue. It is not just unpleasant for key sectors to be reliant on outside sources, it is actually very bad. I am talking about medical equipment, masks, ventilators. I am talking about food. That is basic. When we talk about key sectors, feeding the public is the foundation of everything. I am very pleased to support this bill. A food day will be wonderful. It needs to be used as a launch pad for what comes next. Let us do something meaningful and put our words into action.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, I hope that the government heard the speech by the member from the Bloc Québécois today.

As people living in Canada are faced with the highest food prices they have ever experienced, it is time for the government to increase food security in this country. The NDP acknowledges that this bill could play a small part in that, yet there is still work to do so no one in Canada is going to bed hungry.

My colleague from Cowichan—Malahat—Langford has been a champion in addressing the immediate food insecurity problem in this country, which is the price gouging for corporate profits at the grocery store. The leader of the NDP has been holding grocery chain CEOs accountable for this price gouging. The truth is that, while the grocery oligarchs in this country are making billions in profit, more children are going to bed hungry. This cannot stand because it is driving up food insecurity and hurting Canadians.

I recently asked the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development to explain how food insecurity in this country could be trending up when poverty rates are going down. The minister responded that the government realizes this disconnect and is now linking their poverty reduction council and their food policy council to talk about this. She admitted that, for too long, food was not included when talking about poverty, and this is something that is now being addressed. Food, a fundamental need, was not part of the considerations when the government was dealing with poverty. It seems unbelievable.

However, there is hope. The minister admitted that the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food cannot do this work alone, and that the current shared mandate between those two ministries is needed to solve food insecurity. I agree and say to both of these ministers that they need to advance the solutions faster People are going hungry, especially those living in poverty.

Almost one million people living in poverty in this country are persons with disabilities, and they are still waiting for financial support to come through the Canada disability benefit. The cost of groceries means they are skipping meals, as well as eliminating fresh fruits and vegetables from their diets. The Canada disability benefit, which would be established with the passing of Bill C-22, is needed now to offset this reality. Throughout the course of the committee study on Bill C-22, we heard about the suffering of people with disabilities living in poverty. Overwhelmingly, we heard that they are not eating enough meals daily and cannot keep up with the rising cost of food.

It is essential that the federal government step up with an emergency benefit immediately, so I again ask the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion to provide a disability emergency response benefit while Canadians wait for the currently unfunded Canada disability benefit.

Today, with the increasing cost of food, a growing number of households are becoming food insecure. People are relying now more than ever on charities, not-for-profits and places of worship in their communities to put a meal on the table. I want to take a moment to highlight some of those invaluable community partners in my riding of Port Moody—Coquitlam. These are the organizations that are feeding the families that are unable to make ends meet: Share Food Bank, Immigrant Link Centre Society, The People’s Pantry, Coquitlam Alliance, Tapestry and Hillside churches, Soroptimist International of TriCities, Tri-Cities Moms Group, Coquitlam farmers' market, Fresh Roots, School District No. 43, and the city of Coquitlam, which stepped up to quickly adapt their city kitchens during the pandemic and have sustained an affordable meal delivery program for vulnerable seniors in Coquitlam.

I thank them all for what they do to offset food insecurity and improve lives in our community. Thank goodness for these community groups. Strong local food systems are crucial to ensuring food security for all Canadians, and so too is a caring community that does the work to leave no one behind when government has not done its work to protect the most vulnerable. There is still much work to do in the House to enact laws and programs that protect Canadians from food insecurity.

As my NDP colleague from Cowichan—Malahat—Langford has said, the NDP supports this bill and knows it can raise other key areas too, to encourage the government to establish more food security initiatives in Canada. Farming is one of those areas. My colleague has said that farmers can be one of our greatest tools in effectively combatting climate change, alongside feeding the world, and that with the enactment of this bill, farmers will become part of our national discourse.

In Canada, we have extensive arable land where food can be grown. We produce far more food than our population consumes. We are net exporters. We are one of the top agricultural producers in the world, and that is something we should definitely talk about more.

For example, do members know that Canada is the largest producer of lentils in the world? We produce almost twice as much as India. Between our two countries, we produce more than 50% of world's lentils, yet per capita, Canadians eat very few. That is a shame because lentils are high in protein and fibre and low in fat and calories. They are naturally gluten-free and have an exceptionally low glycemic index, making them suitable for a diabetic diet. The majority of Canadians do not know this.

From coast to coast to coast, Canada has local food that needs to be shared and eaten. We are a country with the ability to produce food locally for everyone, not just to give the bare minimum amount but to achieve the good, high-quality food we all need. We need that high level of nutrition. It is a very strong factor in the social determinants of health.

As New Democrats, a strong food system has been a central issue for us. In 2011, we ran on a commitment to introduce a Canadian food strategy that would combine health and environmental goals. We created a strategy called “Everybody eats: Our vision for a pan-Canadian food strategy”, which focused on how food travels from the farm to the factory to the fork. It was comprehensive, and it forced the Liberals to act. It is now time for the Liberal government to do more to protect Canadian food systems in the new reality of increasing climate disasters.

I think about the recent devastating flood in B.C. that wiped out roads and limited supply chains for weeks, as food could not get in and out of the Lower Mainland. Realities like that are why this government needs to understand how and where food is grown and produced in Canada.

This bill has the potential to direct the Liberals to look at the concept of food miles and how far food goes to reach a table. Today our food is travelling long distances to make it to our plates. That is not food resiliency. In B.C., we have the ability to grow a lot of seasonal produce, and we need to understand those opportunities and build resiliency around them.

In closing, it is important that this bill be part of the journey, not the end of it. We have much work to do to build and rebuild resilient food infrastructure in this country. We have relied too much on imports for decades while letting our own food production dwindle, and we need to bring more food closer to home. We also need to reduce the amount of food we waste. That is why, in November 2022, I moved to introduce Bill C-304, an act to establish national food waste awareness day. I thank the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford for seconding that bill.

Having a day to recognize the impacts of wasted food on food insecurity and climate change will raise awareness, inspire change and contribute to a meaningful solution to make Canada's food system more secure. Each year, 60% of the food produced in Canada is thrown out, and half of it is fresh, edible and nutritious food that could help feed four million Canadians, one million of whom are children, who are struggling daily with access to healthy food. It would be one more tool we have in our policy tool box to remind Canadians of how important local food is, celebrate the farmers who produce it and start a conversation on how we, as parliamentarians, can better support food security so everybody has access to high-quality food and no one goes to bed hungry.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would start my interjection today by thanking the Hon. Rob Black for introducing Bill S-227 in the other place and the infamous and great member for Perth—Wellington for sponsoring it here in this chamber. Bill S-227, an act to establish food day in Canada, seeks to establish the Saturday of the August long weekend as food day here in Canada.

The purpose of this is obviously to recognize the roles our local farmers, producers and processors play in ensuring Canadians have access to safe agriculture and nutritious food. The tack I am going to take in my speech is to go through and review pretty much all the interjections that have occurred so far in the chamber to highlight some of the important things that have already been said about the bill and to look at how it would impact my great riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound.

I would like to start by noting that I, to be frank, knew very little about Anita Stewart before preparing for this speech, and I first want to offer my condolences to the Stewart family because, as has been noted, she passed away at the age of 73, not even a couple of years ago. What is interesting is that the origins of food day in Canada really go back 20 years. They are tied to a concern Anita had, which was born over the crisis we faced as a country, which was mad cow disease or BSE, and the importance of that.

I would like to note that my very first question here in the House of Commons, upon my election in late 2019, was:

I was very disappointed last week, when listening to the throne speech, to hear very little mention of rural Canada and our critical and diverse agricultural sector.

Ontario farmers are suffering from a lack of processing capacity and their inability to sell fed cattle to the United States. The government missed a critical deadline to apply to the World Organisation for Animal Health for negligible risk status. Why?

Unfortunately, I never got an answer to that, and I am still waiting to get an answer, but really, the origins of food day in Canada are based in Anita Stewart's concerns over that.

The Hon. Rob Black brought this up in his speeches on this bill, as he introduced it in the other place, highlighting his concerns over the lack of agricultural concern by the current government in the Speech from the Throne. I have, on the public record, spoken a couple of times to the fact that, for some reason, agriculture does not seem to be a top priority for the current government, and it needs to be.

I am not trying to be partisan here. I represent a riding. One of the reasons I got involved in politics was exactly to stand up for rural Canada, particularly my farmers. Later in my speech, I will get into what the statistics are and how important agriculture is to my riding.

It is bigger than just Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound. Obviously, something everybody in the House can appreciate is the importance of farming and agriculture to Canada and to Canadians. We are by far one of the largest producers and exporters of all agricultural products around the world, whether they are our cash crops, cattle, dairy or fruits and vegetables. I will get into specifics. We export. In our cities, for those members of the House who represent our more urban ridings, without food we cannot survive, so it is so important.

I will highlight a bit more of the history around BSE, as the member for Perth—Wellington highlighted in his first speech on this subject. He talked about how damaging BSE was to Canada and to our beef farmers. At the time, Canada was the third-largest exporter of beef in the world, to the tune of over $4.1 billion. However, basically overnight, due to BSE, our beef producers saw their exports to the U.S. go from just under $300 million a month to zero.

I am going to get into some specific stats to highlight my own great riding.

Between Bruce and Grey counties, there are over 4,124 farms. There are just shy of a million acres of farmland in my riding alone, and the average farm is about 240 acres. Between 13% and 20% of the local farms sell locally right to the consumer. There are over 400 farms that sell directly from the farm to the stands or are “pick your own”. There is also the diversity, with beef, dairy, pork, poultry, cash crops and orchards in particular. There are some of the best cideries and orchards in my riding, which produce by and large one of the largest percentages of apples in Canada. Beef in particular is what my riding is known for. In fact, there are over 200,000 beef cattle in my riding in a given year. I wish I could get them to vote, because then my results would likely be even better in federal elections.

This is really important for us, but so is the economic impact locally. There are over 13,400 people employed in the local food sector and over 4,117 businesses. There are cash receipts of over $1 billion. Across the province, food alone is responsible for $2.8 billion. This is from the farms in my riding, with total employees across the whole sector at over 42,000. This is a direct result of Bruce and Grey counties. Another important note is that between 54% and 69% of the farms in my area are small farms, meaning they are putting forth less than $100,000 in revenue in a given year.

There are a few other points I want to highlight, which have been brought up by other colleagues in the House. One is how resilient our farmers are. They do not have the choice that many of us do. It does not matter what the weather is like or what type of personal issues they are facing. They need to get out there and work through them. They need to work through mental health issues, which is something else that Parliament and the government need to be focusing more efforts on for farmers in Canada.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, in his speech, highlighted how he loves to cook. I will not go that route. I am capable of cooking my Kraft Dinner and my Cheerios every day, which is about my limit, although I have expanded into chili. He talked about the importance of the media and how Canada does not cover how important food and our agriculture sector are for Canada. This really highlights the point about education and the importance of food day in Canada. This bill, which I am confident will pass, is all about education. I will be shocked if it does not pass with unanimous support.

Furthermore, as I highlighted earlier, Canada cannot survive without food. We need to continue to highlight what that means going forward, but it is bigger than just the mass production or processing of food. It is about small family farms.

The member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford talked about being a small-scale farmer himself. I guess I kind of qualify in that boat too. I grew up on the family farm, which I own now. I do not have the 700 ducks, couple hundred chickens and couple hundred turkeys and geese that I grew up raising. In fact, we hatched them all in the basement. We also had the dairy cow that my dad gave my mother for her birthday, which she milked twice a day by hand to keep the family fed. When one has five boys, that is all stuff that needs to happen.

Recognizing that I am running out of time, I just want to highlight in my wrap-up the importance of passing Bill S-227, which would establish a national food day in Canada. It is really all about education, but most importantly, it is about thanking farmers here in Canada.

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Waterloo, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to express the government's full support for Bill S-227, an act to establish food day in Canada.

This private member's bill was introduced by the Hon. Rob Black from the other place, and we are discussing it here. I want to give kudos to all members on the AGRI committee for working together and demonstrating that we can see bills like this move quickly. It would be good to see more of them come back to this House so we can see them pass in due time.

The Hon. Rob Black was also involved in the event held at the Kitchener Public Library this past Saturday to remember Ontario's Farmerettes. It was a really interesting event. I was not able to go in person as I was attending other events, but it was an opportunity to reminisce about the role that women played during the Second World War. There is a new book that details the labour shortages during the Second World War, which sparked the creation of the Farmerettes. I want to give a shout-out to Bonnie Sitter, the author and researcher of the book, who kept a promise to the Farmerettes that they would see their story in print. Hopefully we will see these stories be turned into a play by a theatre company in Blyth, Ontario.

The Farmerettes and the role they played began as a movement of women who took over the manual labour jobs in southern Ontario farms while men were serving in the Second World War. The women were compelled to do the work to keep food on the tables of their neighbours. One of these women was Mary Boucher, who is from the Waterloo region. This individual has contributed in many ways. I spoke with her last week, and it was interesting to hear her stories and about the role she played.

Most of the Farmerettes are now in their eighties and nineties, and many are no longer with us, but the role they played was instrumental in ensuring that we had good food. This is really important in the Waterloo region. Our community continues to grow, and we are noticing in the Waterloo region that we are actually growing up instead of out so that we protect farmlands and have good food.

What is great about the bill is that it provides us an opportunity to celebrate the contribution of this sector to Canada, which is something I am very proud of and I know all members are very proud of. We often do not recognize the people who do the work on the ground, which is why when it comes to farmers, the Farmerettes and their families, the hard work they contribute really needs to be celebrated. The bill would provide yet another opportunity to do so.

I look forward to seeing this debate continue, and I look forward to seeing a food day established in Canada. I am really pleased to see that members are working together to ensure that we continue to showcase those contributions.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all the people who have contributed to this in the riding of Waterloo and across southern Ontario and Canada for the role they play. Please know that it is both noticed and appreciated. We are grateful to them.

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

I want to thank the hon. member for Waterloo. I will remind her that she has six minutes and 35 seconds remaining when the debate starts again.

The time provided for the consideration of Private Members' Business has now expired, and the order is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the Order Paper.

The House resumed from April 17 consideration of the motion that Bill S-227, An Act to establish Food Day in Canada, be read the third time and passed.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be the first to rise on this sunny Monday morning. Spring is here and we are happy. There is sunshine and warm weather, and we are happy.

Since this bill talks about establishing a food day, I would like to begin by paying tribute to the many people who run the food banks in my riding. The work they do is truly important, even crucial. Today, I want to name and recognize them.

Alternative Centregens is an outstanding food bank in my riding. The Centre d’action bénévole de Saint-Hubert is also very important. There is La Croisée de Longueuil, L'Entraide Chez Nous, the La Mosaïque community outreach centre, Partage Saint-François-de-Sales and Le Repas du Passant. There is also Chrismene Joseph, who does a wonderful job with CESUMAS. There is Aide aux familles in Saint-Hubert, where Yvonne Ornau works. I am often in touch with her and we support her. These people do an important job every day and they help communities. We know that things were really difficult with the pandemic.

Les Cuisiniers Différents is another very special food bank. It is staffed by young adults living with intellectual disabilities. They make meals for struggling schools, and the organization is a crucial resource. Chantal Pagé, who I speak with almost every week, is one of the main go-to people in my riding on community issues. I want to send her a warm hello.

I think that everyone who has heard me speak on housing knows how much importance I place on the well-being of others. It is so important to me that I would be willing to declare every Monday national food day. I think that food is a central part of our lives, along with housing, another matter I have often addressed in my speeches.

Food is central to all things. Food is an essential need. When people are hungry, everything gets harder. Yesterday, some of us might have eaten steak and fries, a piece of salmon or a chicken breast grilled on the barbecue. Unfortunately, for many people across this country, these food items are out of reach. Sometimes, the things we take for granted are considered a luxury by others. Sadly, in Canada, having enough food to eat is still a luxury. This can never be said too often. We have to work on this problem.

I think it is important to keep in mind a few extremely important points about food. First, I think that everyone should have access to a sufficient quantity of healthy food.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, a specialized UN agency, the right to food means that “the state [and that is us] has an obligation to ensure, at the very least, that people do not starve.” That seems obvious, but it is not that easy to achieve. In Canada, we are not there yet. “As such, this right is intrinsically linked to the right to life. However, states are also under an obligation to take appropriate measures to ensure the realization of the right to adequate food for everyone within their jurisdiction. In other words, all people, at all times, should have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food.”

This seems to be a self-evident truth, but, as I said earlier, we are not there right now.

All of this is to help people lead “an active and healthy life.” Food is deemed to be adequate when it is also “culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods.” The issues here are still quite significant. Finally, the “accessibility of such food [should] not interfere with the enjoyment of other human rights”.

I spoke about this earlier, when I said that food insecurity is also a problem in Canada and Quebec. It is a problem now, today.

According to Statistics Canada, “[d]uring the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic [in Canada] in fall 2020, about 1 in 10 Canadians aged 12 and older reported experience of food insecurity in their household in the previous 12 months.” For a country like Canada, I find that absolutely unacceptable.

“HungerCount 2022” reports that, in Quebec alone, 2.2 million requests for food hampers are processed each month. That is a 20% increase since 2021. In addition, 34% of people receiving food assistance are children. In Canada, 485,000 children do not have enough to eat.

Establishing a day like this could help highlight that, even here, in our country, people are going hungry and do not have the kind of access that would enable them to meet their basic needs, such as food and decent housing, and that we must absolutely find a solution to these problems that are hurting a whole segment of society. We are talking about half a million children.

About two-thirds of some 1,200 organizations that provide food hampers report that they have been short on food supplies from their usual sources over the last year. Faced with the current supply chain problems, the food banks' usual donors, such as food producers and processors, have begun to manage their supplies more efficiently, which, in itself, is good news for the environment but ultimately leaves them with less surplus to give away and leaves us with empty food banks.

As we know, the agricultural and agri-food sector is a priority for the Bloc Québécois. We are constantly talking about food sovereignty, in particular by promoting the supply management system, which is a good example. Over time, the Bloc has raised a number of issues to promote food sovereignty in Quebec and Canada, particularly the need to secure our food chains, foster the next generation of farmers, promote local agriculture and processing, help farmers and processors to innovate, especially when it comes to building resilience to climate change, protect critical resources and agriculture and processing facilities from foreign investment, promote human-scale farms by encouraging buying organic and, especially, champion buying local.

All these measures will help people eat healthy and enable food banks to continue doing their work, although they must be given the means to do so. This is why I find the preamble of the bill quite interesting. First, it makes the link between a state’s sovereignty and its agricultural system. Clearly, for me, as a Bloc member, as soon as we talk about sovereignty, I am interested. The bill is also interesting because it addresses the fact that this system is more than just a commercial industry. We are talking about people's health and well-being, and that should not be a commodity.

Let us get back to the concept of food sovereignty, which is defined by a people’s right to responsibly choose its positions, the policies to define them and, above all, the means to implement them. This can be addressed from several angles. From a social perspective, fostering social cohesion in our communities, land use, and respect and recognition for the work of farmers and processors—those who feed us—may cut food waste and promote the sharing of knowledge and know-how we need to develop our own food sovereignty.

In terms of the environment, we need to work on developing innovation programs so that producers and processors can conserve more resources. Finally, from an economic perspective, food sovereignty is a more protectionist vision of agriculture, which enables poorer countries, for one, to develop their agriculture, implement fair trade rules and improve food quality standards. Clearly, this has many positive aspects.

Of course, for trade to be mutually beneficial, it must first be fair. A trade system that results in exploiting poor countries and dumping in rich countries is not sustainable. We cannot allow free trade that results in a race to the bottom. That is not what this is about.

In closing, this food day is a great idea. The Bloc Québécois will be supporting this bill. This day should be accompanied by a range of meaningful measures. Simply having a day is not enough. As I pointed out, we still need to implement an action plan to feed people, to adequately support farmers and, above all, so that I can stop feeling guilty about having steak tartare for dinner while 485,000 children in this country do not have enough to eat.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to be here today to speak to Bill S-227, an act to establish food day in Canada. I thank the member for Perth—Wellington for sponsoring it in this place.

This bill is very similar, with some minor changes such as the date, to Bill C-281, an act to establish a national local food day, which was introduced in the 42nd Parliament by the former NDP MP and national parks critic Wayne Stetski. MP Stetski's bill was itself a reiteration of legislation introduced in the 41st Parliament as Bill C-449, an act respecting a national local food day, by former NDP MP and agriculture critic Malcolm Allen. Therefore, it is good to be here debating this bill, which has such a rich history in this place.

It is incredibly important to ensure that Canadians have access to healthy, affordable food and a sustainable food system. These are national priorities. I agree with the former speaker that they need a lot more support and investment. It is important to support our local agriculture markets as they are essential to us moving forward with this goal.

As I was preparing for this speech, I was thinking a lot about what we experienced during the beginning of the pandemic. I remember a lot of communities and organizations contacting me to talk about food and how worried they were with the big changes that were happening across the planet and with their food security.

My riding is just under 60,000 square kilometres. I have a lot communities on islands, and they were very concerned. I remember when there was a COVID outbreak in Alert Bay. The butcher there became very ill and had to be away for 14 days. That made it very hard for people to access the meat and protein they desperately needed.

Therefore, ensuring that we have local responses and that we honour the importance of assuring that if something happens there is enough food to sustain us is incredibly important.

I am also pleased to have an opportunity to talk about the rich farmers' markets across my riding. What I find profound about all the farmers' markets is that they are evolving quickly, and they celebrate locally grown food, which I really appreciate. It means I can go online and look at all the resources our farmers' markets bring. They connect us locally to people who are producing different types of food. The websites are available on that one site, so people can look at what they can locally connect to directly, and that is important.

When we know who feeds us locally, it means we can access their products. It is good for the environment and it supports local businesses. I come from a rural and remote riding, and keeping money in our region is incredibly important. These folks work very hard, so I appreciate how it connects us to local providers and allows us to buy locally to protect not only those local business but also our planet. We must always remember to celebrate the people who make food for us and who are very close to us.

I think of my visit to the Blueberry Commons' farm co-operative, which does some great work around connecting with children in schools, providing food for people and creating a local business that is going to make sense. It is also looking at how it can add housing to this co-operative. When it looks at its community, it sees how high the need is for affordable housing. It is quite incredible when we see these kinds of groups coming together and identifying how they are going to support not only keeping food healthy, local and affordable for people, but also ensuring that affordable housing is included going forward.

I think about the Namgis community garden. When I went there I was amazed by the establishment it had created and by the many young people who would go there to learn how to garden from the more mature members of the community. This brings the community together. It was very profound to see the number of young people who were getting jobs because they were working with local businesses and people saw an opportunity to hire them. As they said, it was a good problem to have.

I think of Big D's Bees. We have strong support for bees in a lot of places throughout our riding. Big D's Bees does a lot of work to ensure we have good honey, but we are also showing our solidarity with the bees, which are struggling so much.

Amara Farm is another one, one of my favourite farms in my region. They do a lot of incredible work to create produce, and also work very hard to make sure that the farmers' market is successful.

The reality is that when we talk about this bill, we have to acknowledge how many people are going hungry. Twenty per cent of Canadians have said that they were very likely or somewhat likely to obtain food from a community organization in the next six months. We know that people are struggling to make ends meet, and it is getting harder and harder.

One of the hardest challenges for families that are struggling financially is finding affordable, accessible food that is healthy for their children. We hear about this all too often: children going to school hungry, children struggling with health issues because they cannot eat the proper food.

I know that my friend, the MP for Vancouver Kingsway, has put forward Bill C-212, an act to develop a national school food program for children. This is absolutely important. We know that too many children go to school hungry. We need to make sure that we are supporting those children without any embarrassment or shame, so that they can get the health and nutrition they need, so that they can be better educated and take care of that education. I really appreciate the focus on those kinds of things.

When we talk about this, we also know we are watching some of our grocery chains in this country, specifically Loblaws, which are seeing outrageous profit during this time when so many Canadians are going hungry. I remember when our leader asked Galen Weston how much profit is too much, and of course he was unable to answer that question. I wonder why. We know that feeding people is less important than making sure there is profit for people who have a stake in that business.

As the cost of food goes up, as we know, more and more food is being shipped across the planet. We need to find ways to look at this and have a more sustainable future that includes healthy food for people, but also includes accessing local food before we go outside, especially when we look at things like the carbon footprint and what that means for us as food travels around the world.

I have only a couple of minutes left in my speech, but I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the great heroes of all of us across this country, and that is our local food banks. Not too long ago, I was in Gold River and I was talking to one of the members of the town council. She was talking about how the Gold River Food Network is doing everything it can, but it is getting harder and harder to feed people because so many people are accessing it. They noted, specifically, that there are a lot of seniors accessing food banks. That is quite concerning, that people who are living on a fixed income are struggling more and more. If they do not have healthy food, their health outcomes are worse.

I also think of the Campbell River Food Bank, which does a lot of work in that community, but also holds a lot of food for other food banks on some of the islands near our region. As they see the increase in just the Campbell River area, they are having a harder and harder time taking in that extra food that they hold for those other communities. Storage is becoming a huge issue. If they cannot store the food, then it gets harder to get food out to other communities, and that really concerns me.

I also think of the Powell River Food Bank. I went to meet with them, and one of the stories I will never forget was about the embarrassment of a wife coming in and asking them to please not tell her husband that she had to go to the food bank, because they just did not have enough food. She had paid all the bills and there was nothing left over.

In this time when food insecurity is increasing, it is incredibly important that all of us in this place take responsibility and understand that we must support healthy food for people. We must look at what is happening in our local communities and lift those businesses up, lift those farms up so that they could provide the best food.

I look forward to supporting this bill, and I hope that we have a special day to recognize and celebrate local food. I also hope that all of us will celebrate it every day by buying products that are close to home.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to bring the voices of Chatham-Kent—Leamington, and today the voice, hopefully, of many Canadians, to this chamber. I want to begin by thanking Senator Black for bringing forward this bill to acknowledge a food day in Canada. He comes from the other place, and I want to acknowledge my friend and colleague, the member for Perth—Wellington, for shepherding it through this place.

I also want to thank him for some delicious craft beer that resides in my fridge, as he recognized that the Leamington Flyers prevailed over his St. Marys Lincolns in the western conference finals of the junior B hockey league. I also want to acknowledge that last night the Stratford Warriors, also from his riding, tied the series for the Sutherland Cup at 3-3; he and I will continue discussions on that matter later.

However, today is about food and the important place that food has in our lives, both for our physical needs and also for our social needs. It has such a major place as we celebrate with families, as we celebrate occasions and as we celebrate social events. Today, I want to spend most of my time talking about the physical aspect of how food nourishes us.

As previous members have acknowledged, many of us have access to local food, and that is great here in Canada, but the reality is that most of the food that we consume as Canadians comes to us through one of two complex food value chains: It is either food that we purchase at the grocery store, through the retail value chain, or it is through the food service aspect. After a number of us have spoken here to this bill, we will go to the lobbies and enjoy some food prepared here through the chamber. As we celebrate weddings and other social events, we have the food service industry serving us there through our hospitality venues, as well as through our hospitals. That is the other complex food value chain that often supplies us with food.

I am a farmer, and on our farm we have produced many vegetable crops and grain crops. However, I have spent much of my life also involved with the transfer of raw products from our farm to the next step, that second step, as it goes from farmers to food manufacturers or food processors, and then on to retailers, distribution centres or food service companies.

Several generations ago, most people understood the food value chain. What I really like about this bill is that it focuses on our food value chain and it gives us an opportunity to talk about it, so that we all collectively understand where our food comes from. In this chamber, we hear at times debate around supply management, where we talk about open markets or contracts or the spot market or informal alliances. In the general public, I do not think it is that well understood. Why does agriculture not just get together and have one simple way of transferring food or the value of raw product to the next step? Obviously, it is very simple to understand at the local markets or the roadside markets. In my home riding of Chatham-Kent—Leamington, we are blessed with many of them throughout the summer, and with our greenhouse industry, we often have access through many months of the year. However, as I said earlier, most of the food comes to us through a complex web of interrelationships, and that is where I have spent some time off the farm. I will speak a bit to that.

I am a proud Conservative. I sit on this side of the chamber, for now. However, I have also spent 20 years or more collectively bargaining. I am very proud of that, representing producers and their relationships up the value chain. How can I do that? I very much firmly believe in the market mechanism as the most efficient mechanism for transferring value of goods and services, but markets work only when there is a balance of power in the marketplace. Different mechanisms, different structures and at times different regulations are required to provide that balance of power. What I have noticed over my time in the food industry is that there are four factors that actually determine the amount of structure and the style of relationship between producers, farmers and the next step up, be it food manufacturers or processors.

Let us begin with them. The first one is the perishability of the product we are talking about. If we were to talk about the price of a glass of milk, or a tomato, which I have produced, or a bushel of grain, and if we were to sit down across the desk to determine the value and not agree, we might want to come back in two or three weeks' time and talk about the value of those products again. That glass of milk is going to have some problems two weeks later, if it is not properly cared for. The tomato might hang in there and have some value, but it would certainly be reduced. For the bushel of grain, be it wheat, corn, soybeans or canola, if stored properly, we can talk about it in six months, and it would be fine. Therefore, perishability determines the dynamic or the power we have to talk about it. Even with different products, we can talk about beef versus dairy. Both are products that come from bovine species, but they have totally different marketing aspects when it comes to perishability.

A second factor is the complexity of the biology or the complexity of the technology. We can take a dairy herd as an example. A dairy herd takes years to build up to a productive asset, as does an orchard or a vineyard. They are not things one plants in spring and harvests that fall, immediately; it takes time. Therefore, if there are errors, mistakes or marketing challenges, that can really mess with that operation for years.

My farm, Lycoland Farms, is an annual crop producer, so we get a new chance every spring, and we are at the point where we do a fair bit of double cropping, so often we are able to plant two crops a year. That dynamic, the complexity of the biology, determines how much structure and regulation might be required in transferring value.

A third factor is the balance of buyers and sellers, and we have talked a lot about that in this House recently. How many buyers are there for how many sellers? Is it a monopoly or an oligopoly buying, or are there a number of options I can sell to as a producer?

I think of different instances here. The grain markets are becoming more concentrated, but the reality is that I have several elevators I could transfer my corn or soybeans to, and I am not bound to take it to one if we disagree on the local basis levels. I look at our greenhouse industry, a very complex and highly technical industry, and there is a large absence of marketing structures. As they specialize more, they are starting to move toward contracts, but the reality is that in that industry, several years ago, there were over 60 marketing agencies willing to transfer the value of greenhouse product to the retailers, to the market. That has shrunk down somewhat, but there are a number of options. That balance of buyers and sellers, monopolies and oligopolies, plays into how much structure a market needs to function effectively.

Last, there is the international scene. How is agriculture treated in other countries? Canada is a trading nation, so we cannot eat all the wheat we produce or all the pork we produce, and our orange juice production and our coffee production suck. We need to trade, and how other countries treat agriculture is also extremely important in our relationship.

Those four factors, over time, play into how an industry transfers value, and this is largely between the primary producers one step up in the value chain. These factors are not static. Innovation, changes in technology and changes in how other countries interfere with or support their agriculture become very important.

I am reminded of 2008, when the grain markets rose significantly. That actually led to the Arab Spring. When the average consumption of a country's population drops below 1,800 calories per citizen, often civil unrest follows, so countries around the world are interested in their agriculture and their food supply. Food sovereignty is important to every nation in the world, and that plays out in many different ways.

In the few seconds I have left, I just want to touch on two points. First of all, there is a myth that it is field-to-fork that brings the food to our plate. I, as a primary farmer, have so many suppliers. I have relationships with input suppliers, seed suppliers and farm machinery suppliers, so our food value chain extends before the farmers. I do not want to leave anyone with the wrong impression.

In conclusion, the legacy of Anita Stewart from Perth—Wellington is to be honoured, and that is a point of pride for our agriculture communities and for our whole food value system. I am honoured to address that today.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, having grown up in the Prairies, whether in Manitoba or Saskatchewan, or in Alberta when I served in the Canadian Forces, I have had the opportunity to really get a good sense of what our Prairies are, even going into British Columbia. Food, as it has been talked about, is not something that is critical. It is even more important than critical, as life is dependent upon it.

I thought I would try to give a bit of an image of driving in the Prairies. I can think of highways such as Highway 2 driving out in the Carman area or down Highway 1. One can see beautiful bright yellow fields, blue fields or golden fields, virtually wherever the eye can see. One of the most impressive sites is when driving on Highway 2 and one can see a line of five or six huge four-wheel drive combine tractors in the field bringing in the food. It is so impressive that one must realize it is a bread basket for the world.

We export so much product, and our farmers have done such incredible work with the diversification of our farms. Canola, in particular, is one of my favourites. It comes from the University of Manitoba. There has been fine work done through science. It has been expanded to incorporate the Prairies, with some of the products going out of Saskatchewan into countries such as India. There are so many products.

Canada does play a very important role when it comes to food security, not only for today but into the future. I would like to emphasize the imagination of individuals to take a look at the vastness of the Prairies and the work that our farmers do in ensuring that we have those basic crops, which are so essential to the existence of life.

For diversification, it has been so important that the government support our farming community through the prepandemic, pandemic and postpandemic years, which it did with budgetary measures allocating hundreds of millions of dollars, as well as by looking at ways to enhance trade opportunities and ensure local food security through supporting the many different organizations out there. There is so much in that sector.

This is a government that has a genuine interest in making sure that our agricultural and food sector industries are strong, healthy and viable. I believe that food day would fall on the first Saturday after the first Monday in August, so that this year it should be on August 5. When we designate days, weeks or months, we will usually hear fairly encouraging words about the topic of the legislation or resolution that is being debated. There is absolutely no doubt that education is a major component to any sort of recognition of a day. We have some amazing organizations out there.

I have referred, for example, to Peak of the Market, which is located on Route 90, a nice, easily accessible highway in the past. I had the opportunity a few years back for a tour of Peak of the Market with the minister of agriculture. Food circulation is of critical importance, but I had the opportunity to have a wonderful tour, where I recognized the white potatoes, red potatoes, vegetables and storage capabilities available. There are all sorts of things that take place here. It is, for all intents and purposes, an organization to promote Manitoba-grown products and vegetables. It has had such a huge impact.

People have referred to food banks. Peak of the Market donates thousands of pounds every year to food banks. Peak of the Market is out there promoting and encouraging people to buy local and to promote that product beyond the borders of Manitoba.

We have great strawberry farms. Every year, when I was in the Manitoba legislature, we would get a basket full of strawberries grown in Portage la Prairie. Last summer or the summer before, I was north of the Interlake and was able to see cattle farms and even a beef farm. If people go to the southeast, they will see chicken producers. They have the barns where they are born, grown to 28 days old and then processed to provide food, whether it is for Kentucky Fried Chicken, hotels or grocery stores.

We can look at the hog industry, an industry that I have talked at great length about in the past. The hog industry in Manitoba is huge, and it continues to grow. It is not just in Manitoba. HyLife is a great contributor to the Canadian economy with its significant footprint in the province of Manitoba, where it processes thousands of hogs every day, which ultimately get exported to Asia. This created jobs and provides essential food. It is endless. We can talk about the hog production plants in my home city of Winnipeg or in Brandon. Thousands of hogs are being produced for local consumption and export. They are the best-quality hogs.

I would argue the best-quality potatoes are found in the province of Manitoba. Some of my Prince Edward Island colleagues might question me about that, but, from my perspective, I believe Manitoba does produce the best.

There are industries we need to look into more for possible opportunities. I had an opportunity to look at the aquafarms in a very small way, but it is an interesting opportunity and something we should be looking at. It provides all sorts of opportunities from an educational point of view. We may be able to have aqua farms even in cold climates with greenhouses. The science behind food enables us to get more engaged.

It is important, when we look at the food industry, that we need to recognize the degree to which our farmers have sacrificed. I referred to the farming of wheat. We can talk about the dairy farmers and the cattle industry. They are there today because of our agricultural products and food industry have one purpose at hand, and that is to ultimately provide the quality foods we see on our grocery shelves and being served to us, as one member said, whether it is in the MPs' lobbies or in our many wonderful restaurants throughout all of our communities. It is wonderful to recognize the importance of food and all those involved in ensuring we have food to eat.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to join the debate today to talk about Bill S-227, which was brought forward by my friend from Perth—Wellington. I thank him very much for bringing this forward.

As many people know, I grew up on a dairy and beef farm in southwest Saskatchewan, so agriculture had a huge impact on my life when I was growing up. I will take a few minutes today to talk about how important agriculture is, was and will continue to be in our country.

First and foremost, we have the best agricultural producers in the world. What we do here in Canada when it comes to agriculture is so fundamentally well done by the people who are in the fields, raise cattle and produce milk. I am very happy to have lots of friends in the agriculture sector still, and to be a member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, which unanimously passed this bill back to the House for third reading. I was so happy we passed it quickly so the legislation can pass and be made law, and so we can celebrate food day on August 5 of this year, as my colleague from Winnipeg North said.

One thing we are doing in Saskatchewan, which is one thing this bill would help with, is improving the education on how our food is produced. In Saskatchewan, we do something called “agriculture in the classroom”, which is about having students learn about where their food comes from and that it does not just appear in the grocery store or on their plate when mom or dad cooks it at home. It teaches them where it starts, which is the fields, the farms and the cattle ranches in our country.

Agriculture in the classroom is not just about the students. It gives educators the opportunity to gain real-life experience on the farm. One of the educators who took part in this in 2022 said:

This was the most transformational excursion I have had the pleasure to go on. I loved learning about how farmers are taking active measures to ensure that our food is produced in the most environmentally friendly way.... I really appreciated the connections I made with several of the participants and look forward to using some of the resources in my classroom now that I have a great awareness of what is available for my grade.

This is a quote from Sherry Lesser, a 2022 agriculture expedition teacher.

This bill would bring together rural and urban citizens and allow them to start the conversation about how we produce food in this country.

As I said, I have been on the agriculture committee for several years, and one thing we really need to make other Canadian citizens aware of is just how much has been done to improve sustainable agriculture, though I think all agriculture is sustainable. Our farmers should get credit for what has been done in the last 20 to 25 years. They should get credit for zero tillage, which has now practically been incorporated. They should get credit for crop rotation, where different crops take out different nutrients from the soil.

People have come to present to committee, and the agricultural soil in Canada is in the best shape it has ever been in. This is because we leave more in the ground and have the ability, through technology, to make our soil as healthy as it has ever been.

I had the experience of attending Ag in Motion, one of the biggest agricultural shows in North America. It takes place just outside Saskatoon. Yara, which is a fertilizer company, had a research plot there, and I was able to go on a tour with the company, which field-mapped the plot. Technology has done great things for agriculture. Yara had a little machine that scanned 30 leaves in this plot and then gave a reading, down to the decimal point, of how much fertilizer needed to be added to that part of the field.

Technology has come such a long way. We can now have a field map, with GPS, and the tractors now have GPS as well, so farmers can be so precise on how much fertilizer they put in the fields. It is amazing how much more sustainable our practices are. If one talks to any producer, one will hear that they want to lower their inputs as much as possible, because fertilizer and fuel cost a lot of money and that hits the bottom line. I am so proud of our producers and how well they have done in using that technology to make farming even more sustainable.

Of the total emissions for Canada, agriculture represents 8% to 10%. In any other jurisdiction in the world, the agriculture sector accounts for 25% of emissions, or more. That is how well we are doing in Canada: Our emissions are three times lower than in any other jurisdiction in the world that has agriculture as major part of its economy. That is what we have to keep in mind when we are talking about sustainability and agriculture. We have to let people in this country know how well our producers are doing when it comes to agriculture and sustainability. It is something we should be proud of, and the government should be there to promote what our producers have done.

We are definitely going to be at the forefront of being sustainable and feeding the world. As our population grows, our outputs and yields have to continue to grow. As we have lowered our emissions, the hard-working men and women in agriculture have also increased their yields. It is fantastic to see how much more we are producing with less, and that is something for which we should give credit to our producers. They made a lot of these innovative changes without any government intervention.

Getting back to Bill S-227, we can talk about education in the classroom, which is vitally important. I always talk about my rural, agricultural background, but I am an urban MP. I represent the west side of the city of Regina, so I am an urban MP. I always say I kind of blend the rural and the urban together. That is something this country should do more of. I think that people in downtown Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, our bigger cities, need to have conversations with rural people and talk about where our food comes from and how sustainably it is produced. That is something that will bring this country together more. At such a time in our country's history, we need more things that bring us together instead of dividing us.

Many people are one generation removed from the farm and still have that connection to rural areas, whether in Ontario or Quebec. I think there is a particular pride in being from a rural part of this country. When I am door knocking in Regina—Lewvan, many of my constituents either still have a farm in their family or are one generation removed. They talk about producing and what they are growing, with pride showing on their faces. I can see the smiles and memories that come back from when they were living on the farm, especially during harvest and seeding, when people really have that experience of coming together as a family.

We are going to see a lot of hope and optimism in May. Lots of people are hitting up fields right now in southern Saskatchewan. I wish everyone who is planting this year the best of luck. I hope it rains at the right times and that we have an amazing crop this year, because that is what we look for. There is a lot of hope and optimism in May in Saskatchewan, with people going out into the fields, but there is a lot of pressure too. It is big money, millions of dollars, that people are putting on the line to grow, fuel and fertilize so they can feed the world. With that hope and optimism also come a few worries.

Another thing I would like to do with respect to food day is to acknowledge that where our food comes from is a great way of life. Growing food and growing what we actually eat ourselves comes with a pride that cannot be explained. We raise our calves and send them into town. When we get that meat and eat it, we talk with our kids about how that meat went from being a calf to being part of our diet. There is something that comes with that, and it is a point of a pride when talking to kids.

Class field trips are something I remember. I remember going to a Hutterite colony when I was in grade 6 or grade 7. I learned about how everything is produced in that one setting. It starts in the field, where they have a bunch of plants. They also package and sell some of their own meat. We have not done that for a while, but my wife is on the student council at our school, and we are starting to do more trips to Hutterite colonies to have kids learn things first-hand and be on the farm. They can see how that production happens. It is interesting, because now, when my kids go to the grocery store, they look at the packaging of the meat a bit differently. They see where the meat was produced and packaged.

Food from field to fork and plate is something we can all learn a lot about. We should take great pride in our agriculture producers and how well and sustainably they produce the food that fuels this country. Canada will always have the food, fuel and fertilizer the world needs. We have to support our farmers. I am very happy to support my friend with this private member's bill.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

Resuming debate. The hon. member for Pierre‑Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères.

I will have to interrupt the member at some point.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, I am disappointed that I will not have as much time as I had hoped for my speech on Bill S-227, which is now at third reading.

This is an interesting bill. It would create a food day in Canada. I am a little uneasy about seeing the word “Canada” in the name. That said, the idea of the bill is to create a day, in this country, in Canada, to celebrate local food and local products. That seems perfectly reasonable. Obviously, I would prefer a Quebec day, because there are great farmers in Quebec who make fantastic products. However, we will make do with food day in Canada. One day, we will try to propose a Quebec day as well. That would be even better.

This is a bill that interests me because people often tend to forget that there are farmers in Quebec and that a lot of farming happens there. Quebec's agricultural sector is highly diversified, with all kinds of products. Many people are unaware of this and do not appreciate this sector enough.

My riding is 10 minutes from Montreal. We are right next to the big city. There are towns with a population of 40,000 or 20,000, suburban towns with many inhabitants. There is also a lot of farmland in my riding, which not many people realize. Not everyone is aware of all the different farming operations in our area. I will name just a few.

My riding can be reached via Highway 30 or Highway 132 along the St. Lawrence River, or via other major roads like the Chemin des Patriotes or the Chemin du Rivage along the Richelieu River.

The thing that will stick out to anyone driving through my riding is the sheer number of fields they drive past. Once they drive out of the town limits, they may see nothing but fields for more than an hour. They may begin to wonder if there is anything around besides fields. There certainly is an enormous amount of land set aside for field crops such as wheat, soybeans and corn. Corn is a very popular local crop. My riding is also home to dairy farmers, the people who provide the milk, yogourt, cheese and other dairy products we consume every day.

A lot of those kinds of products come from my region, including grains that can be made into bread, cereals and other important staples, as well as corn and soybeans, which are also used to make many things.

We also have maple syrup producers. I like to say that Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu is the capital of sugar shacks. There are many sugar shacks to visit in my region because there are so many maple syrup producers.

All the maple syrup producers in the Verchères riding got together recently for a sugar shack community supper. Everyone brought a can of their syrup. The idea was to taste each other's product to determine whose is the best. I guarantee that anyone who visits my riding will see for themselves that we make the best maple syrup.

I have talked about the dairy sector and maple syrup production. I see that I am already out of time, and I have only talked about two or three products made in my region. I hope I will have a chance to talk more about it later.

Above all, let us be proud of our local producers, because we make high quality food here. It is important to eat local food and support our farmers.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Perth—Wellington for his right of reply.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is indeed with great satisfaction that we finally reach the end of debate before passing Bill S-227, an act to establish Food Day in Canada.

I would like to begin by thanking the member for Northumberland—Peterborough South for his assistance in helping me to accelerate the process, so we could pass this bill today. I would also like to thank all hon. members from all parties, senators and staff who have supported this bill and helped us to reach this final stage today. I particularly want to thank the hon. Senator Rob Black, who first introduced Bill S-227 in the Senate.

I would also like to thank and acknowledge the Stewart family members, who are making a strong legacy in their mother's memory in passing this bill, as well as Crystal Mackay from Food Day Canada and her family for their support. I would also like to thank and acknowledge my own family, including my wife, Justine, and our three ABCs, Ainsley, Bennett and Caroline, for their support as well. They tell me that they have heard more than enough about Bill S-227 at the dinner table and that they could give speeches on it themselves.

This summer, 20 years after Anita Stewart organized the first Food Day in response to a national crisis that devastated our beef industry, Food Day Canada will be officially recognized across Canada. This bill is particularly important as we focus on such issues as food sovereignty and food security. What is more, we could use Food Day to promote food literacy for both the young and the young at heart.

Coming to know where our food comes from and how it is produced, processed and prepared could be a learning process for all Canadians. This summer, and for every year to follow, we will, together, recognize the work of farmers, fishers, processors, chefs and everyone along the food supply chain; they not only feed us but also enrich our vast and diverse national culture.

I will close with the advice left to us by the late Anita Stewart, who founded Food Day in Canada almost 20 years ago and is, indeed, the inspiration for this bill. She wrote:

We need to have at least one day when no living Canadian can ignore the fact that Canada has some of the finest ingredients and culinary talent—from researchers and producers to home cooks and...chefs—on the planet.... [A]bove and beyond all else, Canadian cuisine is about celebrating our magnificent differences, our roots and our ethnicity. It’s about possibilities, and how we as a people continue to welcome immigrants from all over.... It’s about branding ourselves “Canadian” and giving our producers an unmistakable edge that no other nation can emulate.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The question is on the motion.

If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division or wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

The hon. member for Perth—Wellington.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I think you will find it is the will of this House to pass the bill unanimously.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

(Motion agreed to, bill read the third time and passed)