Thank you very much for appearing this morning. I realize it was short notice, but the issue we're addressing this morning is not new. I'm sure that all of us know the issue quite well.
We keep hearing that programs are being delivered upon, and yet I hear from real farmers who are coming to me to talk about what is happening at the farm gate. Just recently there was a case of a husband and wife team. They both applied and got $400,000 from the advance payments program. That's $800,000. They were anticipating $700,000 back from CAIS, although I think CAIS is a redundant program--at least I was told that this government had gotten rid of CAIS, but we keep referring to CAIS time and time again, so I'm not sure where that is. In any event, the $700,000 isn't forthcoming, and now they're in a conundrum. What do they do?
I guess the question they have is why we have one program pay and then have another one grab it back. What that $800,000 did was pay off short-term debt--the veterinarians, the feed bills. Some of the short-term local suppliers were able to be compensated because of this money. Now, all of a sudden, there's a shortfall, because they lost their bank credit.
We have to do something more substantial than that. Either government is committed.... I'm not sure whether the resistance is coming from the department or whether it's coming from the minister or whether it's coming from government in general. I don't mean this as a partisan statement, because I've been part of government as well. I just feel that we have not, in Canada, grasped the idea that food production is really important, because food is so accessible from many parts of the world.
I don't want to exhaust my questioning this morning on statements, but basically I think it's time we started grasping the notion that producing food in Canada is important. Unless we take it very seriously, unless we can deliver very quickly on farm programming and on making those commitments--in the next few days--so that something is bankable in the long term.... Because this short-term, three-month thing is no good. This industry isn't going to turn around in three months. We have to have something more substantial than that. Unless we can do that, some of these guys are going to turn the key, as Mr. Schlegel said a few moments ago.
I think it's time we started moving on, because in the beef industry alone we've added certain costs that were not there two years ago. There are the SRMs and animal identification and age verification. Those are all costs for the common good, but they are being passed down to the farm gate. Again, the farm gate is paying for it. I think that has to stop.
Let's get real, let's be honest, and let's call it the way it is. Unless we make a serious commitment, we're not ready to deal with this, and we might as well say we'll close the books on agriculture in this country. I know that's an awful statement, and I never thought I'd have to make that statement, but I think it has to be made, because consumers are not our problem. Consumers want to buy Canadian product. While identification of that needs to be more clearly defined, we know that Canadian consumers have not been our adversaries. They have been on our side.
Let's get the job done. We find ways to do other things--war, all these things. We find money to buy heavy-lift equipment in the military, no questions asked, but food is very far down the list. I'm afraid that's not where our priorities should be.
I'm going to leave it up to you to respond. I don't think you can respond in the short time we have, but I want that on the record.