Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to start off by saying that I am not a mental health professional. I'm a communicator. Communication in the ag sector is what I'm passionate about and is close to my heart.
I grew up on a small farm in southern Manitoba. I got to see farmers have hard times, help each other and figure things out on their own, because that's what we were taught to do. We were taught to figure it out on our own, and if we couldn't figure it out on our own, go back and figure it out on our own. That was the culture that was instilled and that's the culture that made us strong.
It's also the culture that sets us in a difficult spot when mental illness comes into the conversation. I think that is the crux of why the communications component of what we're talking about with mental health and sharing is so critical to the program.