Good morning to you all. Thank you for coming this morning to share with us your experience.
I represent the riding of Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. It is an agricultural riding: 25% of everything that is produced there is processed. Consequently, 25% of direct and indirect jobs are linked to that activity.
I would like to share some interesting statistics with you. There are eight supermarkets in my riding. As well, there are three specialty public markets exclusively devoted to selling local products. Those markets are growing; they are very popular and profitable. Not a single merchant in those markets is going bankrupt. The markets are very popular because people know that the products are home grown and healthy. In my riding, there is also a very interesting program called “Achats à la ferme”, which allows consumers to buy directly off the farm. For instance, you can buy a cow.
How do you explain that many producers of local, home made products are making a very good living and, paradoxically, that local producers who do not have the support of such a network are on the verge of bankruptcy? It is no doubt a question of labeling.
We hear that the designation “Grown in Canada” would be an adequate label for domestic products. In Quebec, people are familiar with the term “Produit du terroir”; it has proven its worth. Consumers are happy to pay a little more for those products. The markets are very popular and appreciated. The people who sale their products there are doing terrific business.
I would like to hear your comments on that. Thank you.