Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Above and beyond everything that has been said here, everyone present cares about agriculture. This committee represents all farming in Canada, which means 250,000 farms and the families that live on them. As a result, almost one million people will need a new agricultural policy. We must produce our report because our department has to have a solid foundation upon which to base the development of the new agricultural policy framework. That foundation must reflect all of the work that was done during our travels and that has been done since I have been sitting on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food.
The people who will be developing this agricultural policy will need to have something in their possession that represents all of the work that has been done. I believe that we all have an obligation to deliver, as quickly as possible, our report. I am currently sitting on another committee. We drafted such a discussion paper and it was long and arduous work. It is therefore very important that we begin because if we do not do so and we are not in a position to deliver it, it will be the holiday period and we will have to come back to this issue in the fall. The department does not have much time left to develop the agricultural policy and make it ready for 2008.
I think that beyond all partisanship, we must think about the interest of farmers. In their day-to-day lives, they are really affected by the deliberations of this committee. It is of the greatest importance. All of those from the agricultural sector know that often the policy thrust can bring about a new vision for agriculture, and the decisions that farmers make are often dependent on the policies that are established for the next 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years. If we do not take the time to lay a really solid foundation, we could put one or two generations of farmers at risk for the next 20, 25 or 30 years. I believe that this mission is more important than all of the political and partisan games that we are currently playing.
I therefore agree with Mr. David Anderson; we must as soon as possible begin working on this draft. As far as the motions are concerned, I understand and I have a respect for democracy. Every member of this committee may table motions so that we can discuss them, for the well-being of future generations, particularly the next generation; that should be our guidepost. We talk a lot about the next generation in agriculture. The young people who want to establish themselves in the agricultural sector for the next 20 years are made up of young families in rural areas. Imagine if they were to decide to leave agriculture! We already have a problem, we are going to be short of farmers over the next few years. A young 25-year-old man or a young family will decide whether or not they will remain in this sector or whether they will work elsewhere. They will make their decision according to the agricultural policies that are laid out before them for the next years.
I therefore believe that beyond what we think here, we must make a good decision.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.