Evidence of meeting #64 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 farmers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Chair, we have some bureaucrats here from the department who I think can come forward and answer that question a little better than I can. I hope they can deal with that.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
We have some people here from the Department of Agriculture who could answer the specifics.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
When we're here for the purpose of the estimates, Mr. Chair, it's to find out where the government is spending its money, and that's why we are asking the question.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay. Could I ask the people from the department if they would mind coming forward?
Could you identify yourself to the committee?
Pierre Corriveau Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
I'm Pierre Corriveau, and I'm with Agriculture Canada.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Thank you.
Would you answer the question from Mr. Easter, please?
Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Yes.
The additional funds or the reallocation of the $230 million will be to new programs that are soon to be announced by the minister, as he indicated in his appearance last week at this committee. At this time the information is not available, but it will be tabled also in the supplementary estimates in the fall.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
So this money is going to be explained in the announcement. Is that on the farm income side of the coin? Or are you at liberty to say?
Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
I'm not at liberty to say right now. The reallocation of those funds will be detailed when we present the estimates in the fall.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
The fact of the matter is that this $230 million that was in the original estimate was targeted to go to low-income farmers, to hard-pressed farmers. We'd been getting a lot of calls from accountants and those hard-pressed farmers.
Will they be bypassed in terms of the new program, or will the money be specifically targeted to them?
Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
I can't comment on what the new programs will be for.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
The bottom line then, Mr. Chair, is that we're not getting a lot of detail here. I can understand that to a certain extent, but I am very concerned that those hard-pressed farmers out there are now being bypassed as a result of the family farm options program being cancelled. That's the purpose of the motion for next week.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay, and you do have that motion for next week. We can discuss this in more detail at that time.
Mr. Hubbard.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
Mr. Chair, it seems a lot to ask for the committee to approve $230 million without any idea of where it's going to go. It seems rather unusual.
Parliament certainly has not been informed. I think it would be beyond our good sense to pass that amount of money without having some idea of where it's going to touch. I would have concerns.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
I can tell you right now that the grant payments for the Canada farm families options program, in the amount of $157,500,000, is part of this. As well, another contribution under innovation and renewal--$86 million to the Canadian farm families options program--is allocated in the total amount that we're voting on right now, in this line vote.
So I shall call the question--
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Can we be assured that this money then is going to get to farmers? Because that's where the original money was designed to go.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Well, the response is that there's $230 million for new programming and $16 million to increase existing programming. That's what it says.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
So that's for farm programs.
Mr. Corriveau, is there anything you want to add to that?
Mr. Boshcoff.
Liberal
Ken Boshcoff Liberal Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Thank you.
There has been considerable debate and discussion in the House with regard to drought and disaster relief. Is that included in this?
Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
On drought payment, in fact a portion of this is included in that vote 10, which is grants and contributions.
Liberal