Welcome to the wonderful world of politics and unfulfilled election promises.
And that was not all. The budget also announced $500 million for the AgriFlex program. Initially the money was to be spent over four years, and then finally, it was going to be over five years. We also realized—you have to read the fine print—that, in actual fact, only $190 million of the $500 million would be new money. The rest was coming out of standard programs. Finally, we heard the worst news, which was that the program would not include income support.
It is two years now since the new programs were implemented—AgriStability, AgriInvestment, AgriInsurance and so on. CAIS was sharply criticized.
Have you been able to make any comparison today between CAIS and the new programs? Mr. Van Tassel, I even heard you testifying about the problems CAIS has caused grain producers.
Has there been any improvement as a result of these new programs, or are we still at the same point? Have we just exchanged four quarters for a dollar? I am sure you are familiar with that expression.