Evidence of meeting #18 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A recording is available from Parliament.
President, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association
Regarding the apple thing in the Okanagan—and I come from Niagara, in the fruit belt—these are special areas with special problems, because the land is driven up by all kind of reasons that have nothing to do with agriculture. Yet that's where we grow the specialized crops, the wine grapes, etc. It's the same in Niagara with peaches and things like that. You can only grow them in a few places in Canada, and the land is being driven beyond its productive value.
Beyond that, in Ontario and Quebec and a lot of Canada, there are all kinds of places where they can grow apples on relatively inexpensive land, but it's still a very tough go, because in the marketplace you simply cannot get enough at the wholesale level to really make it a viable thing. It's the competition. It's the world competition; it's the U.S. competition; it's people who are either subsidized or who simply have a very cheap cost and who are bringing their product in. Remember, once you get into the fresh market, and the processing too, everything is a world market.
You have three chains in Ontario, and I think three in Quebec now, with tremendous buying power. Good product is offered to them electronically from all over the world, all day, every day, and it comes from places that can grow it a lot more cheaply than we can—and there's product that's probably pretty darn good. We operate in Canada with costs that are imposed by society, and yet when we go to the marketplace we have to compete with all the rest of the world, which doesn't have those costs.
Something fundamental has to change here. We're either going to get it out of the marketplace—and I don't know right now how we're going to do that—or society's going to have to find another way to pay; otherwise, we're going to have a change and we're going to have nice, fancy estates in a few pieces of the country and we're going to have a lot of non-viable farms all over Canada.
It's a fundamental problem. It's that open border philosophy of cheap food. You can't have it both ways, folks; if you're going to have farming in Canada, somebody's got to pay for it. So far, it's the farmer.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerry Ritz
Thank you, Mr. Troup.
You're time has expired, Alex. We're actually way past the time.
We're just starting to scratch the surface of this issue. We'll probably return here sometime later in the winter, I'm sure. Having said that, this meeting for all intents and purposes is done.
Mr. Steckle, just before you do that, we also need a motion from the floor to cover the expenses of the witnesses for the Canadian Grain Commission hearings. These are in the neighbourhood of $33,000. Perhaps I could have a motion from someone.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerry Ritz
As a seconder, Mr. Atamanenko had his hand up as well. Thank you, gentlemen.
Mr. Steckle.
Liberal
Paul Steckle Liberal Huron—Bruce, ON
I want to put on the record that for the motion put forward for Thursday, I'm suggesting that at the end we add “all efforts be made to have those meetings televised”. I don't want to leave that until Thursday. It should be on the record.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerry Ritz
Okay. So the motion to be tabled and discussed Thursday will be amended as you've just said.
Is there any discussion?
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
I have an issue about amending motions here, and whether the person who made the motion is in agreement with it or not—
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
—and whether or not it's appropriate to do it at this point.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerry Ritz
We went through that during the break, Mr. Anderson, and Mr. Easter took it as a friendly amendment. So I think we have that covered.
Is there any other discussion?
The clerk advises me at this point that this motion is an intention and will be formally discussed on Thursday as well, so come armed for that.
Thank you so much, folks, for coming.
This meeting stands adjourned.
