Mr. Chair, as I mentioned earlier, I had the opportunity to visit Bas-Saint-Laurent a few times with my colleague Bernard Généreux, who represents many farmers and producers in that region.
The 2018 drought was the worst in 50 years. It followed the 2017 drought, which had also been quite horrible.
The problem is that, according to crop insurance rules, rainfall from the last days of the growing season is taken into account, and the calculation period can't be extended. That's exactly what happened in 2018: the rain came at the end of the growing season of the plants included in the calculation. Unfortunately, under normal rules—although there is nothing normal about nature—farmers were not eligible for a full payment for their 2018 losses.
Farmers had conversations with the La Financière agricole du Québec. Basically, all the stakeholders on the Quebec side recognize that certain technical details need to be modified, and they are prepared to make these modifications. However, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada would have said no. In discussions with farmers, the department acknowledged the problem and said it was willing to make changes for 2019, but it did not want to reconsider 2018. Yet it's 2018 that did poorly and that may force some producers to abandon their production. Action needs to be taken for 2018.
Everyone must come together to convince Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as well as all stakeholders reporting to it, to make the changes required for 2018 so that these people can receive the payments they're entitled to. Yes, they are entitled to payments because they pay insurance. These aren't subsidies. It's like paying for car insurance: when you have an accident, you expect the insurance company to cover the damage, even if you sometimes have to insist because the company doesn't want to recognize all the details. Lastly, when you take out insurance, you think you are properly insured and continue paying the premiums without fear as required. People do this because they don't have a choice, but they know that they will be covered in the event of a disaster.
Yet there was a disaster in the five regions mentioned. That's why it's important for the Minister to explain to us the reason for his refusal and for us to try to convince him at the same time to modify certain technical details for 2018.
Mr. Chair, I don't want to get into a long discussion. I think that, here, we are all very close to farmers. We understand their situation. I will leave it at that for now.