I can use myself as a prime example of trying to get into farming.
I grew up on a large hog operation. My father started out very young. He built up the operation, assuming that the sons would take over. The first son started, but realized that he couldn't make any money at it. The second son tried to do it. He ended up quitting school to do it. He applied for the future farmers program, but couldn't get the large interest rate because he had to leave high school for the farm.
I got into the dairy industry about six years ago and I've been working for an employer who's highly recognized in the genetic industry. They have been able to pay me based on their income, because their industry is supply managed.
The point I want to make is that I want to be a dairy farmer. How do I become a dairy farmer? I don't have any equity. I don't have any land. How is the government going to help me start my own farm? How am I going to access money to buy quota? How am I going to access farmland and pay the debt load and the interest and all that sort of stuff?
If you ask young people if they want to be involved in the agriculture industry, what do you think they're going to say? Of course not. There's no money. They read the papers. They know the agriculture industry is not viable because we don't have a vision.
I think the future farmers program is a step in this direction, but we need to see interest-free loans for people starting out in the business. And that doesn't mean only dairy. That doesn't mean only beef or grains.
The point is I am a very...I'm not going to say intelligent young woman, but I have aspirations. And I have a passion for agriculture. I recently got a new job that has to do with rural development. But where do I want to be? I want to be in agriculture. I want to help us through this crisis, because we need to get through this crisis.
I grew up in this industry and I want to help my family farm get back on track. I don't know how we're going to do that, because we're in a financial situation right now. As you can tell by my voice, I'm shaky because this is how much agriculture means to me. I want to get through to the committee members because I still feel the APF's two consultations didn't meet what we need to address, and that is the prices at the marketplace.
Wayne Easter's report, “Empowering Canadian Farmers in the Marketplace”, addresses all these problems. We need to address how we are going to get farmers' money back in their pockets.
We've got to look at Loblaws. We've got to look at Sobeys. We've got to approach this on a retail level. We need to introduce price floors. We need to do something so we know we're guaranteed a price and we're bringing home money to the farmers so we can produce food for Canada. I don't know what else I can say.
I am glad the committee came here to P.E.I. I have been to the CYFF on the national level in Ottawa. I sat down with you folks, and I thought that was very beneficial. Coming here and going to each province in Canada--we all have different needs--and taking on the question of regional and provincial needs.... Out west, they're larger in the wheat sector. We have a smaller base here. Those programs need to meet us in different ways.
In closing, I'd just like to thank you for coming to the island.