Thank you for doing that.
I will just read my motion: that the committee recommend the government include business risk management as an eligible component of the agriculture flexibility program, and that this be reported to the House.
This is a follow-up to the witness we had, and unfortunately I wasn't here due to weather conditions. One of the reasons for doing this is that AgriFlex, with the BRM component, would be a cost-sharing and risk-sharing partnership for farmers to weather the many ups and downs of agriculture markets, cost of production, and currency fluctuations. Another point is that this AgriFlex, with a BRM component, is a proactive program to support provincial programs that effectively address safety net issues, as opposed to an emergency ad hoc aid. It's a prudent measure. It would stretch existing government dollars much further. As our witness said, it does not require new federal money but would spend current funds more effectively.
At the federal-provincial-territorial meetings, the provincial ministers asked the federal minister to review federal business risk management programs. It would be an opportunity for us to recommend to the government that we show some leadership with our provincial counterparts. It's another way of trying to help farmers at this point in time, so they have a bit more of a guarantee of some assistance, rather than constantly looking for ad hoc programs and trying to find loans when it's difficult for them to do.
I would strongly recommend that we get support for this motion.