I thank you very much for being here. I have a few questions, and I would like you to comment.
Would it be an exaggeration to say that survival in rural Canada and Quebec is in jeopardy? We see, for example, fewer farms than there were a few years ago.
That must be concerning to you, Mr. Mayor, because agriculture is the basis of any small town.
It has been clear that for years, the federal policy has focused on exportation and tries to create markets while trying to protect supply management. We are an exporting country, but we also want to protect our domestic industries.
My question is for everyone. What can we do to protect what we have and to try to open up markets? Until now, we have seen that that does not work for sectors like the hog or beef sectors.
Should we consider a supply management system, for example, in the hog sector? Would that work? We know that we export and import pork.
These questions are rather philosophical, but I think that we are talking about all kinds of programs and we want to help these sectors. In general, how can we maintain our vision of promoting our rural communities while continuing to export?
I will leave you with those questions. We could start with Ms. Létourneau, and then anyone else who would like to comment will have a chance.