When the program was announced, the Quebec Minister of Agriculture said he was disappointed that he was not consulted more on the actual procedure. By his estimate, more than 9,000 Quebec producers would not qualify for the program because their income was too low.
One of the eligibility criteria is a minimum family income of $50,000. Has anything been done for those left behind, for those with family incomes below that level? After assessing the pilot project, will an effort be made to include these marginalized producers or do we not yet know what will be done in this regard?
Minister Vallières estimated that 9,000 producers were excluded from the program. Is his estimate accurate?