Thank you, Mr. Chair, and members of the committee.
I will speak first and then it will be Mr. Girard's turn.
I will start by quickly describing what is the UPA, the Union des producteurs agricoles. The UPA represents 41,406 farmers and 30,000 forestry producers in Quebec. Our network is comprised of 12 regional federations as well as 26 affiliated or specialized groups.
Psychological distress is a real problem in the farming sector, indeed it is a huge problem. The ever-increasing need for investments and the heavy regulatory burden are some of the many factors at play.
Farmers are grappling with financial uncertainty. I believe everyone here knows about the ongoing NAFTA negotiations, which will have repercussions. Another source of distress is the lack of workers, as well as finding a work-life balance with conflicting work and family obligations.
We have to look at the problem holistically and take into account farmers' working conditions. This is very important. The psychosocial and healthcare services that are offered to this group will also have to be adapted.
We are making three sets of recommendations. I will start with the first and then Mr. Girard will talk to you about the two others.
These recommendations are primarily about prevention and are based on socioeconomic factors as well as health promotion measures.
On the prevention front, we recommend programs that will support the transfer of farms to the next generation. This is very important for tax planning purposes, and something must be done.
We propose developing a recruitment and training strategy in order to have a competent workforce, which includes foreign workers.
We also recommend simplifying administrative documents. As you know, the complexity of government programs means that our members are spending more time and energy filling out paperwork. In many instances, people give up.
We also would like to see compensation measures that are tailored to the realities of farming and limit the economic impact of commercial accords on farm business margins.
Moreover, we hope to see a risk management program which would deal with climate change. In Quebec right now, we're suffering from a drought. We need programs that are current and provide help and advice.
Finally, we need a national professional training and support strategy for farmers. These two aspects are also very important.
I would now ask Mr. Girard to continue.