Agriculture Committee on March 26th, 2009

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Morrison, would you like to add to that?

[Brian Morrison]

Yes. We recognize that Mr. Ritz has kind of taken that on as a project, and we thank him for that because every market is a market. The carcass has to be divided into value-added as best we can. These markets are enabling plants—and hopefully a plant on P.E.I. as well—to tap into these markets with containerloads of certain products that can be twice as much or three times as much money as available in other jurisdictions, just because they use that product and Canada does not. So we are very pleased that he is doing what he is.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Good.

Mr. Vissers, would you like to comment on that?

[Henry Vissers]

Yes, I would. I recognize that we have a large and diverse country and there are different areas that are more interested in exporting than others.

We've been asking for years for a regional approach to this kind of thing, for a regional approach to safety net programs, for a regional approach to policy from Agriculture Canada and from the federal government.

We've just been hammered in the last few years, because the policy of the federal government has been a drive toward exports. And I know bringing those export dollars into Canada is valuable to Canada, but there has to be some recognition that we should be able to have a domestic industry in the Maritimes to feed the people in the Maritimes. Whether it's a food policy, a sovereignty policy with respect to food, or whatever it is, the country is—

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Yes, I agree with you.

[Henry Vissers]

—too large and too diverse to have one policy with respect to this type of thing for all of Canada.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

I don't think there is one policy, though.

I just want to talk about the product of Canada labelling.

What you're suggesting is that there's an education process that has to happen as well. Consumers, I think, are well informed that...or they're certainly letting us know they want to buy Canadian and they want to be able to identify Canadian products.

As I said at the beginning of my remarks, there are two markets and we need to focus on both, not at one to the exclusion of the other. Certainly we as a government have been listening to Canadians and, first of all, taking the action necessary so they can identify what is a product of Canada, and, second, also focusing on the export markets, which is why I wanted to bring up Minister Ritz' activities.

What concerned me with the NFU report is that they're tilted very much in one direction only, to the exclusion of the other. Even though perhaps certain regional areas benefit more greatly from export markets, if those export markets are cut off, there's more beef in Canada and that will.... There's too much beef in Canada. Canada produces more beef than Canadians can consume, and it needs those export markets.

Anyway, I'm just pointing out that we're taking steps to help address the domestic market and address export markets as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Your time has expired, but I'll allow the answer.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

It wasn't a question; it was just a comment, Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Very good, then.

We now move to--

[Henry Vissers]

Can I answer the question, even though it wasn't a question?

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Maybe you can address it in your next comments, Mr. Vissers.

We'll move to Mr. Eyking. He seems to want to get on the record today.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Welcome, gentlemen.

I commend you for your patience with today's interruptions.

A recent news release from the Nova Scotia federation's president, Richard Melvin, stated the bleak numbers in returns you're getting on your margins compared to the food bill. If the retailers are not helping you on that side, I guess we need better programs across this country to help you.

A recent article in the Country Guide, showed two big examples of how the red sector is helped in different parts of the country. There's $600 million being invested in Alberta in the beef industry, and in the pork industry in Quebec they have a stabilization program. That creates quite a disadvantage for a lot of producers in Atlantic Canada.

First, what should the federal government be doing to give a level playing field for maritime producers?

My second question deals with AgriFlex. We've had a lot of concerns over the last few weeks from producers coming in about the AgriFlex program.

I guess this question is to the P.E.I. and Nova Scotia producers. What are the problems with AgriFlex, and how should it be changed to accommodate the types of maritime farmers we have?

[David Oulton]

Mark, I'd like to address the first question.

Pierre Lemieux suggested that export is a good thing. We don't disagree with that. Export is necessary. The problem is distinguishing between the two.

I'll going to try to put it in one sentence. If you have national consolidated retailers and national consolidated packing plants--which, by the way, are both owned by U.S. private families, not by public companies--and you take those two things and tie them up with an export program of the federal government, we, in the Maritimes, actually become an export community for the consolidated retailers and consolidated packers. We're left out of the equation. There's nothing more to it than that.

If the federal government could address that issue and level that playing field, it would be advantageous.

[Henry Vissers]

With respect to the other part of that question, the federal support for the industry, one thing would be some clarification on the $50 million for slaughter facilities and flipping that back to a grant instead of a loan so that it's more accessible to the industry.

I'm not intimately familiar with the beef plant on P.E.I., but I know there's been a lot of discussion about a grind line so they can grind hamburger and such to meet the needs of the chains. That program would help them with that.

I've heard in the media that the ACOA grant, which was given awhile ago to the Atlantic beef plant, has now been turned into a loan. There is some confusion around whether it was always a loan or it just became a loan, or it's a non-payable loan, which we'd all love to have. They need some clarification around that.

On the support for the local industry and some of the efforts to do with labelling, I certainly recognize there's a desire to have a national label. Whether that national label needs to have 98% Canadian content is something a lot of people are questioning; they feel that the content is too high. We do need a Canadian program, but we also need to be able to be identified as product coming out of this region.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

You have one minute.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Do you see that the Maritimes, and Atlantic Canada in general, should have a more united voice when they're talking to the federal government? I have to commend Quebec producers on how they deal with the federal government and how they deal with retailers.

Do you think it's time that maybe Atlantic Canada should be talking in a united voice about what they want from processors, retailers, and also from the federal government?

[Henry Vissers]

Yes. There are certainly some efforts to do that, but we can do more.

The provincial ministers are beginning to work together. They recently signed an Atlantic MOU. The Atlantic Farmers Council meets on a regular basis to discuss issues. As we mentioned in our brief at the beginning, the maritime red meat sector has come together and developed a task force to look for the way forward for that sector.

Certainly as governments begin to work together, it makes it a lot simpler for us to work together and to have that single portal for discussions as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Your time has expired.

Mr. Shipley, for five minutes.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

Out of respect to Mr. Eyking and the witnesses, I didn't want to bring this up in the middle of Mr. Eyking's round of questioning, but I take great umbrage to his consistent attack on producers—especially beef producers in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. He continues this through various rounds of questioning. He goes all the way back to when Mr. Gillespie was here for the Beef Information Centre, and he's trying to create divisiveness against the money that the Province of Alberta, Premier Stelmach, and Premier Wall have taken a leadership role in putting forward. He continues to attack that money, trying to say they shouldn't be giving it to the producers and that it should be for some fair system right across the country. He knows that's not possible—and they allowed that when they were in government.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I don't think it's a point of order, but you've made your point.

Mr. Shipley, for five minutes.

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the witnesses.

I have to tell you that when I get the chance to visit our friends in P.E.I., it's one of those great times we have, and travelling through Nova Scotia to get there...we just think the world of the Maritimes.

Now, regarding COOL, what steps should we be taking on that as a federal government? That's the first question.

Secondly, you talked about P.E.I. being an exporter. We certainly have had discussions at all of our meetings about the significance of expanding trade. A number of us have talked about that. I wonder if you can give us some comment on the secretariat that has been set up to help our exporting of animals abroad by helping the industry, particularly the red meat industry.

Thirdly, we always talk a lot about the numbers, and I'm trying to get some clarification, quite honestly. Where are the numbers, particularly for the beef cattle? Where are we now in comparison with the pre-BSE situation? I would ask that about the maritime provinces.

My next question is about the viability test, about which we've had a number of discussions. Mr. Easter will continue to raise that. Changing the process will also require provincial authorization. Will your province agree to that, and will they agree to this across the Maritimes?

I will leave those questions with you. There are three or four right now.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mark Eyking]

Mr. MacDonald first.

[Cameron MacDonald]

On the last question, I can't see our province having a problem with that.

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Do you know that, though?