Thank you very much.
Thank you for your testimony.
I will go straight to the crux of the matter, because we do not have much time available today. Throughout the course of this trip, by asking questions of producers in other Canadian regions, such as Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, I have had the opportunity to sound people out on the issues that you have each raised.
I did not go out West, but my colleague Roger Gaudet did. I am, therefore, aware that there have been differences of opinions on some matters. However, I can tell you that other producers, particularly in Eastern Canada, also raised the matter of their expectations with regard to programs flexibility. They do not want a single program to take precedence over others without any flexibility.
You all went through the consultations for the first Agricultural Policy Framework. Somebody from the UPA, somebody you know well, quipped that he had had enough "inputting" and that it was time for some outputting. Obviously, I would not be here if I did not believe consultations to be important, but I agree that we need to see results.
You went through the first Agricultural Policy Framework discussions. There were endless consultations. However, the report that I got from producers was that your voices had not been heard. The framework gave rise to the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization Program. People on the ground said it would not work. They were right, and so here we are consulting again.
In what way do you expect this consultation to be different? We are consulting left, right and centre. The committee is holding consultations, but so too is the government.
Mr. Bilodeau, you were probably in Saint-Hyacinthe or Quebec when the government undertook its consultations for the Agricultural Policy Framework. I know that the Senate committee has also travelled. I do not know if they are specifically addressing the matter we are discussing today.
What are you expecting from these consultations? Do you have any hope left? Are you going to be angry if your voices are not heeded?