Evidence of meeting #21 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was need.
Conservative
Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
Why don't I just leave it, and let the others. We've made up some time.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
We just finished our first round and we're going to move to some more.
I have a couple of points, one on this young dairy farmers program. The dairy industry is the only commodity group that has that program. While it may not be perfect, we're hearing from you, Erica, that it's not enough, but that's something you need to take up with the dairy farmers to possibly increase that. I guess no program is ever perfect or ever big enough, but I do give that industry credit for at least addressing that.
One other thing is about the price of quota, and that's discussed. Ontario has their own program in there to try to keep the price of quota down. I think it would be wise if the rest of the provinces did the same thing. But what I'm hearing in my own riding and throughout Ontario is that since the Dairy Farmers of Ontario have kept that quota down, what they're finding is instead of selling when they might have normally, the older generation is holding on to it now, hoping that sooner or later that cap on the quota price will go up again. That's just been pointed out to me. It's a matter of information more than anything.
Curtis, you touched on raw milk sales, and that instance in Ontario was in my riding. In fact, I know the gentleman quite well. It's an issue that probably needs recognizing, as they do in some European countries and I believe in some different states. I don't know whether you want to comment on that.
The last thing, Peter, is to you. I've farmed all my life, and I never had a pension out of agriculture either. The land I accumulated over the years is my pension. My dad's 77, and he's still got his finger in the pie, so to speak, and my youngest brother is still farming. But that's my dad's pension plan. It never crossed either of our minds to ever expect the public purse or the taxpayer to pay for a pension plan, yet you seem to be implying that. Am I correct in assuming that?
As an Individual
Yes. I think farmers have to be treated as civil servants, as a necessity in our society. We need farmers. We have to get something in there, and when I'm talking about pensions, I'm saying there are trade-offs.
As I said, I'd gladly trade a pension for a transition of the farm to my kids. This is a method of allowing transition of farms and the moving of farms from generation to generation, so that you don't--
Conservative
As an Individual
No, not at all. I'm suggesting that the land be available for a next generation or other people. It does not necessarily mean ownership. It may be ownership by the next generation on the farm. My sons would own the farm.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Okay. Just wanted to clarify that.
Did you want to comment briefly, Curtis, on the raw milk situation?
As an Individual
I'd like to comment that it should be open in this province, if I could get a licence. I've tried to apply for a licence and I've been turned down. It's illegal to sell raw milk in the province of Nova Scotia. If I could sell my milk for $1 to $1.10 a litre right off the farm as raw milk, I could make an income.
Getting back to what Peter said, I'd like to see a pension too--not the government paying for it, but a return on my dollar. If I sold out right now, if my son is stupid enough to take it with the debt load, by the time the taxman took the rest of it, I've got nothing left for retirement. So I'm stuck there until I go out in a six-foot box.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Thank you.
We have about six minutes left, time for one question from the opposition and one from the government side.
As an Individual
I would like to comment on a few things, if that's okay. You had directed some questions to me.
Conservative
As an Individual
The new intern program is a good thing. I'm not going to disagree with that. We've advocated for it for a long time, and if it helps one farmer get in each year it's a good thing.
Nova Scotia is under the same policies as Ontario. We're part of the P-5, so quota capping is happening here the same as it's happening there. I wanted to clarify that.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Thank you, Erica.
We have time for one question and some time for the answer.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Thank you for coming, folks.
I think one of the difficulties here is if you're going to fix the problem, you first have to recognize you've got one. How do we get all governments of every political stripe to recognize we have a problem at the farm gate? And I say “all”.
It drives me nuts when the Minister of Agriculture gets up and says we're putting farmers first. You are in terms of the line for debt. But it also drives me just as nuts when I listen to my own Liberal Minister of Agriculture in Prince Edward Island come out of a meeting and say everything's great.
I heard Cammie on--what did she call it--community land trust. Are current programs working, and if you had the authority to implement one program, one policy, what would it be?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
You have a minute and a half, and I'm going to pre-warn you that I'll have to cut you off at that time.
Liberal
As an Individual
An income. We need a stabilized income, based on our income tax return, and that's it.
Conservative
Conservative
As an Individual
You said in the beginning to identify the problem. The problem is the profitability and our ability to be competitive.
So the question then is, is the program going to fix that? If the program is going to fix that, I don't know which one it is, because that's not what my expertise is.
Liberal
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Okay. We're not competitive, but is it because of other governments' policies, or lack of our own?