Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This is on clause 5, page 7, to be amended by adding, after line 22 on page 7 the following:
5.5 The rights referred to in sections 5 to 5.2 are to be interpreted and applied in a manner that does not restrict the rights of farmers to sell or otherwise transfer propagating material to other farmers, including transfers by means of farmer-owned organizations such as cooperatives, associations and non-profit organizations.
We know that the minister said that he was going to clarify this. We are amending and reinforcing parts of this bill. We want to make sure that it is in black and white that farmers do have the right to save, condition, and exchange seeds. They should not have to pay for their seeds up front and should have the right to exchange and sell what they grow in their fields. It's also to make sure that we clarify that we include organizations and cooperatives in this amendment.