Good morning. Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to say a few words about what we do and what we hope the federal government will do for us.
Before I get into the specifics of what we do, I would like to share a general observation with you, one that has led us to appear before you here today. Whether we are talking about the agricultural policy framework or the growing forward program, nowhere in this entire agricultural policy is there any mention of young farmers or the next generation of farmers. How can we develop an agricultural policy for the future, such as the growing forward program, if the next generation of farmers is not included anywhere? That is our first observation.
What is the current status of the next generation of farmers in Canada? What is the profile of young farmers? What problems do they face? What sort of costs are associated with the transfers? Before any tools whatsoever are introduced to help the next generation of farmers, the Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec would first like to get to know those young farmers, their characteristics and challenges, and determine whether they have the right tools to take over these farms and manage them in a viable, sustainable manner.
Why? Because we have no idea how many young farmers are working throughout Canada.
Before we create any structural programs to assist the transfer of farms to the next generation, we need to remember that the choices being made by farmers right now will have a significant impact on production in 25 or 30 years. Personally, I am a dairy farmer and I will probably still be a dairy farmer 25 or 30 years from now. The decision to be a dairy farmer is not a question of context, but rather a choice: one chooses to produce a given product.
How do we develop a policy? By knowing what young farmers really want to do in the future. That is why we are asking for a major census to be conducted across the country regarding the current status of the next generation of Canadian farmers. We need to know who these young farmers are.
We would also like to see the creation of a review committee that includes representatives from the next generation of farmers. That committee should conduct an analysis and make proposals based on the results of the farming census. We need a spokesperson to converse with young Canadian farmers. By way of comparison, in Quebec, MAPAQ officials work with young farmers full time. We believe the same thing should be happening at the federal level. These people would not have to make any demands, but rather to work towards that, as well as to follow up on and continue to analyze the census that we hope will be done.
We are also asking that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada continue the work we have begun in Quebec in relation to examining the financial situations of the transferors and that that department play an active role in the work recently begun. Quebec has a few excellent programs to help young people enter the agricultural sector. However, one major factor that limits agricultural transfers is often the situation of the individuals leaving the agricultural sector.
In Quebec, we are beginning the work of assessing the situation of farmers who are retiring. Those people rely on the value of the business. They need cash and must leave the business in a situation that ensures its sustainability. We should be helping these people. Furthermore, a committee has already begun examining this matter, and we would very much like Agriculture Canada to be part of that committee.
These observations should serve as a basis for the creation of a real Canadian action plan for starting out in the agricultural sector. Following the example of what is being done on the provincial level in Quebec, co-operation between public authorities and the farming community should motivate the government to introduce a national policy with highly effective measures in order to meet strategic objectives.
At present, regarding the situation in Quebec, the FRAQ is proposing the following priority initiatives. First of all, in the farming census done every five years, we are proposing that questions be added regarding farmers' intentions in terms of succession. At this time, there is no way of knowing when farmers plan to retire and whether they have someone to take over their farms. Without this crucial information, it is impossible to establish a database of farms to match young aspiring farmers without farms and farmers with no succession.
We are also proposing a few financial incentives for farm transfers. For instance, a farm transfer savings plan would allow transferors to see their savings grow considerably when they transfer their farms.
Roughly speaking, such a program would be similar to education savings plans, only it would apply to farm transfers. As an additional measure, the transfer of farm property should be tax free in cases of gifts and transfers to individuals who are not family. Lastly, new farmer subsidies should also be tax free, in order to support farm businesses that are bringing in young farmers. At this time, farmers receive funding to be able to transfer and start up the business, but those subsidies are taxable the following year.
That is what we wanted to present to the committee this morning. I thank you for your attention.
Magali, would you like to add anything?