Thank you. It's always amusing to witness testosterone contests.
Mr. Chairman, I agree with my colleague. If Mr. Blackburn is visiting young farmers, he will be able to take the pulse of the community directly on the ground. My riding is large and primarily agricultural. I have been to every corner of it and I can tell you that one thing is mentioned over and over. If we had really taken the time to look at what is happening in the farm industry, we would not be where we are now. Young farmers are having trouble making a go of it, because of oil and the weather. Forecasts may be made this week only for people to discover next year that there is a shortage of water, rather than a surplus of it. You have to keep starting all over again. If Mr. Blackburn wants to go on this tour, then he should do so and table a report, but not a year from now; he should not just take his time like the Minister of Justice; we are still waiting to receive the RCMP report.
We try to find solutions to problems, but all we ever see is partisanship. It's shocking. In my riding, farmers are committing suicide because they don't know where to turn. And in this Committee, we have clowns who sit here playing with people's lives. I don't find that funny. If you haven't gone to see your farmers, to find out how things are going, I can tell you that I have. I talked to a man who saw his friend standing at the top of a grain elevator. He wanted to jump because he wasn't receiving any help. And you say you are concerned about the fate of young farmers? I doubt that very much; you're not even concerned about what's happening to older farmers. It's terrible. I have good reason to be a sovereignist!
Mr. Chairman, no one can be against motherhood and apple pie, but we can be smart about this. We should get down to work and set about trying to change things. I am a new member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. I now know what happens when a bunch of petty males sitting around this table decide to engage in pitched battle. But that is not what being a member of Parliament is all about. A member of Parliament is there to help people, young and old. Even if there is a tour ongoing and they are canvassed on this, do you think they will laugh in our face if we ask them to come back? They will tell us that Mr. Blackburn came to see them and will repeat what he said. Then we will propose something else to them, and they will respond by saying they were told something different and that something else was going to be done. It will be exactly like what happened with “Product of Canada” labelling. When the young people came to see us, they said they wanted it to be 85%. But you just went your own sweet way and set the standard at 98%. So, what is the point of our hearing witnesses? It's a slap in the face for them.
Furthermore, people appeared before the Committee to explain organic products. But you paid no attention to their testimony. What is the point of all these reports if you have absolutely no interest in helping these people? That is what is really shocking about all this.
I, personally, went to meet with farmers. You, too, are farmers, but you are lucky enough to be in receipt of a good salary and be able to pay young farmers. The farmers in my riding are not that lucky. You have two salaries, but that is not the case for young people. They are looking after their parents and trying to work seven days a week, but it just doesn't work. They're discouraged. Just for once in your life, could you stop thinking about Afghanistan and turn your minds to the young people out there who are trying to get started in farming and make a life for themselves? Also, a lot of people who leave the urban environment to live in the country receive no help whatsoever. It's fine to talk about young farmers and to have all sorts of good intentions, but you don't actually put your heart into it. That's the truth; you can't deny it.
I have been here for less than a year, and I haven't seen anything actually be resolved. Mr. Storseth and Mr. Easter, all you have been able to say is that you did it. So, what are we doing here? Young people need our help, and it is up to us to give them the help they need.