Agriculture Committee on Dec. 8th, 2009

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

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, just for clarity, I chaired the meeting, and if I recall, there was an outstanding young farmer from Alberta. I forget his name. He was a major beef producer and he said—and we can get the record—it would be very helpful to the industry. He also said it would translate down to helping the producers.

[An hon. member]

That's right.

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

No, he didn't say that.

Mr. Chair, can I respond to that point of order? I understand that Mr. Eyking may have chaired the meeting, but (a) that individual wasn't a young farmer who was a beef producer. He was a grains and oilseeds and hog producer. And (b), that's also not the context of what he said. He said both in the meeting and outside the meeting, and I'd be more than happy to have him send the committee a letter if Mr. Eyking would like—

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

Check the record.

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

I'd be more than happy to.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Okay. We can check the record.

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

At the end of the day, farmers do not agree with this. Farmers do not agree with giving $10 million to Cargill, $8 million to Excel, and a couple of million here and there to other packing industries. What they want is exactly what the Minister of Agriculture was doing last week: opening up markets. He was opening up markets for canola and beef and opening up pork for us, in China, in Korea, in Hong Kong--

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Is this on the point of order, Mr. Chair, or is this on the motion or--

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

He's debating the motion.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

—is he just giving propaganda for Minister Ritz? We're supposed to be talking about—

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

You don't have a point of order, Wayne.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

We're supposed to be talking—

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

On a point of order, Mr. Chair, that is out of order and is not parliamentary language. Facts are not propaganda. Mr. Easter often likes to mix the two.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Let me make a point of order, then, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Do you have a point of order?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I am disgusted at the way that member has attacked farm organizations in his remarks. The Canadian Cattlemen's Association is a farm organization. They agreed with the industry. The Dairy Farmers of Canada are an organization. They agreed with the industry. Laurent Pellerin is from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and they agreed with the industry. For that member to suggest that these organizations don't represent farmers is wrong.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

I'm not sure the member was saying that--

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

He did.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

--but he can speak to that.

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

I'm more than happy to. I have said in the committee meetings that I oftentimes wonder where the Canadian Cattlemen's Association is when it comes to the cow-calf producers. If the Liberal Party of Canada is not going to stand up for the cow-calf producers, I know there are more than enough people on this side of the aisle who will.

To go back to the motion, Mr. Chair, I understand that you have ruled it in order. I do think it is out of order because it does basically eliminate a motion that we unanimously passed as a committee. As I said, this motion is wrong-headed. It doesn't listen to what farmers want. It doesn't listen to what the cattle producers, the cow-calf producers, in my riding want. It doesn't relate to what farmers in general in the western prairies want.

I understand that Mr. Easter doesn't spend that much time in P.E.I. anymore, but we'll be spending more time there this summer, and we'll discover what the producers in P.E.I. want as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

Thank you.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

May I speak?

[The Chair, Conservative, Larry Miller]

You don't have the floor. Is it a point of order?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I'm going to have a point of order because I'm going to correct that absolute misinformation that I do not spend much time in P.E.I. That's misinformation. It may come out of the Prime Minister's Office--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!