Thanks very much, Chair.
Thank you for being here. It has been a good round of discussion.
Let me just start by saying that I don't have the same sort of view that Francis has. What I've heard around the table as we've been travelling is that although there is concern about farming, it's not the end of rural life as we know it. The farmers we've been talking to are resilient, they're hard-working, and they see hope.
There are some commodities, of course, that have gone through a really difficult time. I think beef and pork are two easy ones to identify. There are other commodities that have just been going through the normal up-and-down cycle, such as grain and oilseeds, etc.
Actually, I've been impressed with some of the increased productivity measures that have been taken by farmers. If farmers were really thinking that this was the end of agriculture, they would not be investing in growth or in higher productivity, implementing new technologies and innovation to improve the way in which they farm.
In fact, Harry, you're saying that you somewhat support people saying to their youth, “Get involved in farming”, not discouraging youth but encouraging them.
That said, I think there do have to be measures taken by the government, and taken by Canadians and by farm groups, to encourage youth.
It kind of comes back to what Wayne, I think, was saying, that financial stability and profitability are two key components--