Evidence of meeting #6 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Then is disaster coverage related to health issues? The ones we're talking about will be covered here. Are there any trade implications if they're outside of business risk management?
Does anyone know?
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
If that's the case, why would we have it under business risk management? Canada always seems to be the boy scout. I'll give the United States credit: they get money to their farmers around the WTO agreement in many different ways, as long as the money gets to farmers. If they could do it in environmental programming, they'll do it that way.
If the moneys wouldn't be locked up and seen as payments to farmers under our cap, why wouldn't the government do that type of a program that relates to health and safety as an absolute program, but not necessarily under BRM?
4:50 p.m.
President, Dairy Producers of Canada
For me, it's all about whether these programs are green or not green. I know how the U.S. is working some of their programs. I assume these programs are green programs because they're not interfering with the.... But how it's calculated inside the overall APF, I don't know. You have a lot of programs in the EU that are basically stating.... Well, they're part green, part amber. So I don't know how Canada is declaring these features.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
These are really issues related to health and safety, Jacques. Having been in the previous government--and that's just the debate in the House today--I think safety nets aren't going to cut it on their own. They never will. We may dream they will. I can remember when Vanclief made the announcement, “There will be no more ad hoc funding”. The average on an annual basis was $1.5 billion in ad hoc funding. It has to be, or the industry can't survive, given the disasters that happen and so on. So I think we need to look at ways and means of doing it in other ways.
In terms of the SARM presentation, you make mention in your brief—
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Okay, then let me turn to the “grown in Canada” issue. I think everywhere we went as a committee, there was a lot of concern raised by producers, and to a great extent you hear it from consumers, that the “product of Canada” definition doesn't cut it. It should be the product that's in the package, not the cost of the product, that is Canadian.
The fact that producers in other countries can use chemicals in products we can't yet that food imported from them can end up on the shelves is a growing issue.
I just came back from China and the food quality conference. It is a growing and important issue. Canadians want to know what they're eating. I think they want to eat a Canadian-grown product.
How do you envisage getting there? I know you mentioned the CFA's “grown in Canada” proposal and you support it. But how are we going to do the A, B, C, D to get there when the government won't even deal with the “product of Canada” question?
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Mr. Easter, your time has expired.
I'd ask you, Mr. Froese, to keep your comment brief.
4:55 p.m.
Director, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
Thanks, Wayne.
Not to get into the details, following the CFA presentation will be a start. Because of the value of the packaging for a product that's imported, your comments are absolutely valid in terms of other countries capitalizing on that “grown in Canada” name. I think we have to define what that is. When water is part of a product, that also can be a factor. So we need to come up with definitions as to what that “grown in Canada” product is so that the general public will know.
In reading the CFA presentation, you see there's a lot of potential there for enhancing our value-added production in Canada, plus also satisfying the consumers' interests in our food quality.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Thank you.
Just so committee members know, we've lost quorum. But we will continue to ask questions.
Ms. Skelton, for the government side.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Carol Skelton Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
This last weekend in Prince Edward Island, Parliamentary Secretary Lauzon announced funding for a number of environmental programs. Could you tell me if that funding will help your businesses? Do you know about the funding?
4:55 p.m.
President, Dairy Producers of Canada
We haven't discussed that at SM5 and we're not familiar with the details of it.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Carol Skelton Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
It was funding announced on the weekend by the parliamentary secretary for environmental programs for farm families and farm businesses. So I was wondering if you'd heard about it and taken notice of it.
I'd like to ask about the cooperative funding. You're asking for $100 million, am I correct?
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Co-operative Association
Yes, that's $70 million for a patient capital fund and $30 million for advisory services and grants to emerging co-ops.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Co-operative Association
Sure. The $30 million is envisioned to be a mix of national advisory services as well as provincial advisory services that would be $6 million a year. There's additional funding for grants to emerging cooperatives, not just agricultural cooperatives, but to all kinds of cooperatives. The $70 million would be for all kinds of cooperatives as well, not just agricultural cooperatives. I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the fact that the cooperative file sits within Agriculture Canada, even though there are more than just agricultural cooperatives in Canada.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Carol Skelton Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
I understand it very well. I'm from a province where the cooperative movement is very big and very well established. Our credit unions are thriving, and our crops are thriving too.
I want to find out a bit more about them. What other types of co-ops are under Agriculture Canada?
December 3rd, 2007 / 5 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Co-operative Association
Well, all of them, actually, except credit unions. All the non-financial cooperatives are housed under a responsibility with Minister Ritz. That could be retail cooperatives, worker co-ops, funeral cooperatives for the service sector--everything but credit unions, which are with the Department of Finance. It is a very broad mandate and a big portfolio. There are about 9,000 cooperatives in Canada.
5 p.m.
Conservative
Carol Skelton Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
There are 9,000. Saskatchewan hasn't heard about the funeral co-ops, that I know of.
5 p.m.
Conservative
Carol Skelton Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
I'd like to go into biosecurity a bit more. That intrigues me. I wonder how we can talk to CFIA and the agriculture minister about the key things you would like to look at on biosecurity. As far as I'm concerned, as a consumer, when I hear about a problem.... You know, you look at whether sales are going to go down, or what's going to happen. What are the key things you want to stress in that?
5 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency
I want the people sitting at this table to be clear that all of our respective agencies--I won't speak for them--and other commodities in Canada have these programs in place. I think there's that inherent belief that Canada's food is safe. And that is continuing. We saw with the avian influenza in 2004 that there was no change in consumption. In fact in some areas of the country it actually increased. There is the confidence in our products and support for the farmer and the industry.
I think it has become and it's going to become more of a financial burden to implement. That seems to be the issue at present. As stated in our presentation, it's the public good, but at what point does the public have to begin to take their part of the responsibility for the cost of providing this?
We just want to be clear that the biosecurity is in place. It always has been. It has basically come down to the point of proving that this is taking place on a daily basis on farms across the country.
5 p.m.
Conservative
Carol Skelton Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
I come from an industry that knows all too well what happens when you're faced with a disaster; it was many years ago.
I too have concerns about the clean-up. Can you give me any figures on how much it would cost after one of these disasters?
5 p.m.
General Manager, Canadian Broiler Hatching Egg Marketing Agency
As I said earlier, one of our producers in Saskatchewan had avian influenza. His flock was depopulated. As Harold said, it's not the value of the bird. Egg farmers aren't in production for the birds themselves; the marketable product is the eggs. Our farmers are compensated for the birds, so we have an issue with the compensation levels to start with.
But in terms of cleaning and disinfecting, for this one producer--and keep in mind that he no longer has his birds and he has no income--the most recent information we have is that this will cost $150,000 to $200,000. That's for one producer. Currently it is entirely the producer's responsibility to clean and disinfect.
The issue is that this is a prerequisite for Canada, to obtain AI-free status before other countries will be able to accept Canadian product. It's a large, large onus and responsibility, financially, on one producer.