I'm not finished yet. I just wanted to introduce the motion before talking about it. I'll start talking about the motion now.
China is Canada's second largest export market. Billions of Canadian agricultural and agri-food products are exported to China. Canada exports 90% of the canola it produces. It exports 40% of its canola to China. In 2018, Canada exported 4.8 million tonnes of canola seed, valued at $2.7 billion.
A number of other Canadian products are also exported to China. These products include peas, for $700 million; soybeans, for $1.7 billion; wheat, for $593 million; flax, for $167 million; and beef, for $267 million. For the agriculture and agri-food sectors, the relationship between Canada and China is very important.
Why are we here today to ask the committee to meet with these ministers and with CFIA officials and industry representatives? I think that the study on the future of agriculture and Canadian exports must be carried out by the members of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. The issue concerns the agriculture and agri-food sector. As a result, on March 21, we requested that the committee study this crisis.
I know that a study is already under way at the Standing Committee on International Trade. Two ministers have already agreed to appear before that committee. Their appearance was supposed to last two hours. Unfortunately, the time was reduced to one hour. The meeting will take place next week.
Nevertheless, we're requesting that the ministers appear before us, at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. Our questions will focus on how the current crisis is affecting agricultural producers and the entire canola industry in Canada.
There are 43,000 canola producers in Canada. According to Brian Innes, from the Canola Council of Canada, Canadian canola producers provide employment for over 250,000 people. This crisis directly affects these people.
When the price of canola drops, even by $10, the money isn't taken from other parts of the production chain or from the government. The money is taken directly from the pockets of producers. We must hear the producers and industry representatives talk about the agriculture and agri-food perspective, and not just the trade perspective. This crisis will have major consequences.
Everyone recognizes that Canada produces the best quality canola in the world. Canadian research has resulted in an extraordinary product. This product is the envy of other countries and the pride of Canadians. It's totally absurd to claim that the canola shipped to China doesn't meet the quality criteria. We can't accept that excuse.
We definitely want to hear from the ministers, for a number of reasons. Here are some questions that we want to ask the ministers when they appear.
We have questions for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. For example, what steps are being taken with China to find a solution to this crisis? Have official contacts been established with the Chinese government to resolve the crisis? The Prime Minister talked about sending a high-level delegation to China. Who does the Prime Minister want to send to China, and with whom does he want them to speak? Has the minister entered into discussions with Canada's traditional allies to exert pressure with regard to China's unfair decision? Is Canada considering special measures against China to exert pressure in order to resolve the crisis? We want to ask Minister Freeland these questions.
We also have questions for Minister Bibeau. Does she plan to participate in a mission to China? What measures does the government plan to take to protect canola producers and the canola industry in Canada? Does the minister plan to recommend to cabinet the solution proposed by the Premier of Saskatchewan? Does the minister recommend that producers move away from canola production and change their plans for the coming years?
In terms of agricultural production, we must hear what the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has to say about the future of canola in Canada and this crisis. We want her to tell us how long she thinks the crisis will last. It's important. To that end, we definitely need to invite the minister to come answer questions about agricultural producers.
We also have questions for Minister Carr. How does the minister plan to prevent the canola crisis from spreading to other crops in Canada? Does the minister know how much the Prime Minister's failures on the global stage have hurt Canadian producers? I'm thinking of the crises involving durum wheat exports to Italy and Vietnam, pulse exports to India, and, more recently, canola exports to China. There are also all the current crises that we're facing with Saudi Arabia. The government seems unable to resolve extremely significant crises for Canadian producers.
It's ironic, because I've heard this government repeatedly embrace the recommendations in the Barton report. The report recommended increasing the value of Canadian agricultural exports to $75 billion. New recommendations then put this figure at $85 billion. We seem to be really struggling to maintain our current exports, and that's worrisome. We need to hear what the Minister of International Trade Diversification has to say about how this drop in trade is affecting Canadian producers.
For all these reasons, we must carry out this study and hear from the three ministers, Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials, industry representatives, and even farmers and producers who are directly affected by the crisis.
We're currently talking about canola. We're officially discussing canola exports to China. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Producteurs de grains du Québec, and everyone expressed concern. Even though the markets for the other crops haven't been officially closed, people are reluctant to send their crops to China. They don't know whether they'll have buyers. The canola crisis is affecting much more than canola. It's also affecting the other crops. We must make every effort to ensure that this crisis doesn't spread to all the other agricultural and agri-food sectors in Canada.
I implore my colleagues to say yes to this motion.
I'm sure all Canadians want to hear from government officials and government ministers about what they are doing to solve this crisis. We need a solution and we need a solution fast. All of the producers and all Canadians want to have those answers from those who are responsible for the solution, namely, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Minister of International Trade Diversification, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, officials from CFIA, and industry representatives.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I said earlier, I'll have the opportunity to address this issue again.