Agriculture Committee on Nov. 27th, 2014

[The Chair, Conservative, Bev Shipley]

—there's a diversity. We say we can always do the work of four, but one thing that has changed in agriculture is change.

Agriculture, when I was actively involved to what it is now—and I haven't been inactive that long—has become a changing industry. It's an attraction to our young people. I believe, as I talk to them, the attraction to the young people is that we now have an industry that is not only domestic but global. It is an industry that in comparison to any other is a high-tech, innovative, engineered, and expensive industry to be in. That becomes a vision for our young people. The vision for them is that they're now in competition with like-minded businesses.

Agriculture was and some would say to me still that it's a labour of love. That's still true, but it has gone much beyond that. Going much beyond that also means there has to be a change in how we're going to provide for this new innovative industry through its research development and innovation.

It wasn't that many years ago that we never talked about genomes or genomics, so in the budget we have a little over $4 million going into genomics. It is effective in agriculture, whether it's in the livestock industry, the grains industry, the horticulture industry.

I'm wondering if as part of what the research and development and the industry itself.... It doesn't matter what organization you talk to, the whole cluster principle is so important to them because now they've become a partner. The institutions have become a partner, the industries have become a partner, and the government has become a partner.

Along with that, could you talk to me a little about that, or about the $4 million that has gone back into Genome Canada and research and development, please?

[Dr. Siddika Mithani]

Thank you very much for your question.

The $4.4 million that you've alluded to is from the genomic research and development initiative. This is an interdepartmental initiative that is led by the National Research Council. It really involves a number of departments, including AAFC, Fisheries and Oceans, Health Canada, NRCan. It is really there in order to develop the capacity for genomic research in the federal government, and it has flourished to the extent that we now have interdepartmental projects that are extremely useful.

I'd like to give you one example of such a project, which is the quarantine on invasive species. It involves a number of departments. It's being able to look at coding for invasive species and being able to distinguish between native and alien species. That really helps our trade and our trade partners to look at some of those effects.

There are other food safety initiatives that are done through that. Within AAFC the funding that comes from the GRDI initiative is really based on doing work around the genomic development of varieties, looking at genomic work around disease resistance, looking at biodiversity, looking at the gene transformation in bacteria so that we are able to help industry be able to address some of the issues we have in the agricultural sector.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bev Shipley]

Thank you.

I took Mr. Hoback's time. You have about one minute for the question and the answer.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[An hon. member]

The Chair is privileged.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

In light of that, Chair, I'm going to take advantage of that one minute to say thank you. As a farm leader in the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association in 2004 and 2005, I know what Agriculture Canada was like back then. When I talk to farmers and farm groups, the difference in working with you guys now is like night and day. They really appreciate the work you're doing. They really appreciate the people you have on the ground and across the country, so please pass on to them our thanks and gratitude for the hard work they do. Please continue progressing like you have, because you're doing a wonderful job, and make sure employees understand that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bev Shipley]

Thank you very much.

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Chair, I know you're getting ready to adjourn, but I would second Mr. Hoback's compliments to the department. I think you do wonderful work across this country. But I know the minister was really keen on answering the question that I asked about fines for the railroad, and since he ran out time—justifiably so, we had a conversation and we ran out of time—I beg the indulgence of the committee if we could actually ask the minister to respond to that specific question about the fines and whether they were indeed levied, whether they'd been collected, or where it is in that particular process. I know he was keen to answer, he just simply ran out of time, and perhaps we could get that information to the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bev Shipley]

Quickly, Mr. Lemieux, and then we have to close off because we have to finish up with the estimates.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

I would just point out that the actual application of that falls under Transport not under Agriculture. So although the agriculture minister certainly has an opinion and he works with Transport it's actually through the Department of Transport that the decision will be made.

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Maybe the minister is willing to answer.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bev Shipley]

I don't want to get into a debate. What we could do is pass it on and if there's an answer to come from Agriculture or from Transport....

Mr. Meredith is putting his hand up.

[Greg Meredith]

I can just relay that the Minister of Transport has appointed an enforcement officer who is making an investigation and collecting information currently, and will be recommending what fine, if there's a fine, to the ministers. So it is in the process. It has not been done yet.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bev Shipley]

Thanks a lot. To each of the department heads I would just echo that from each of us as individuals and also from our parties we just want to say thank you. You never dodged a question and you gave straightforward answers. That is so much appreciated.

With that we say thank you and keep up the good work and we'll be in touch again.

Committee, you can't leave.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Of course, we can.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bev Shipley]

I guess you can. What we need to wrap up quickly is in terms of the supplementary budget.

AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD

Vote 1b—Operating expenditures..........$12,531,222

Vote 5b—Capital expenditures..........$1,280,700

Vote 10b—The grants listed in the Estimates and contributions..........$44,662,022

(Votes 1b, 5b, and 10b agreed to on division)

Shall the chair report votes 1b, 5b, and 10b under the Agriculture and Agri-Food to the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bev Shipley]

Folks, that will be done tomorrow right after question period.

Thank you very much.

The meeting is adjourned.