Yes, Mr. Chair.
As I mentioned, there was a request to create an emergency committee last week. We asked that the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Minister of International Trade Diversification and the Minister of Foreign Affairs appear here before the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Unfortunately, this could not happen at today's meeting, during which we normally would have heard from those ministers, given the seriousness of the crisis and the high level of engagement we need. As Mr. Gorrell mentioned, we need these face-to-face encounters, both at the scientific level and the political one.
That is why we are today requesting the presence of these ministers, so that they may speak to this agricultural issue before the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.
I know that my colleague from International Trade will have the opportunity later to hear the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of International Trade Diversification. We have already had the opportunity to hear them at press conferences. Unfortunately, it seems totally impossible to get these people to appear here before us at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food to discuss an important agricultural issue.
Once again, I deplore this, I denounce it, and I feel that the debate should take place here. We are going to talk about quality and the consequences for farmers. We are going to talk about the consequences for the entire Canadian agricultural sector, and I simply don't understand, Mr. Chair...
I believe we are being called to vote.