Thank you, and thank you for being here. I apologize for arriving late, but I have your brief here.
This question is to the two gentlemen. When we look at your industry, there seems to be a snowball effect: the more consolidation takes place, the more you folks go out of business. It becomes harder on the farmers, and everybody loses except the big guys.
We see on the other side of the border a government that appears to be proactive. They're going so far as to even introduce country-of-origin labelling and protectionism. You've mentioned the agri-business security tax credit. We've seen it in the slaughterhouses. Our slaughterhouses aren't getting help for our SRM disposal. They're not getting help for competing. It's almost as if we're dealing with a hands-off approach from government here and intervention amongst our competitors. As one pork producer said in his plea to us, help us compete against foreign governments.
I've seen it in my community. In the pulp and paper industry, when the black liquor was first put on the pulp mills, it took a long time for us to finally get some help, when our mills were competing. I don't know what it is. We've somehow slid into this, and I'm not sure who's to blame. I think we're all probably to blame over the years. We've slid into this non-intervention and said we'll let the market decide. The government, to its credit, is trying to open up new markets, but at the same time we don't seem to intervene to help you folks compete and to maintain small businesses that maintain vitality in our rural communities. I'm not sure what the answer is, except what you ask.
There is a precedent. The marine security contribution program is there. It's not as if it is something new to us.
I feel frustrated by hearing this again from you folks and seeing what's going on. I wonder whether you have any comments to add.
I still would like to ask a question of Madam MacTavish.