Agriculture Committee on May 2nd, 2019

[Pierre Breton, Liberal, Shefford, QC]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Thank you, Mr. Breton.

I'll now give the floor to Mr. Berthold and Mr. Dreeshen for six minutes.

I think you're going first, Mr. Berthold.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to ask for the unanimous consent of the members of the committee to speak to the letter that Mr. Longfield mentioned earlier and that we are about to send to the minister. This letter was prepared in camera. If everyone agrees, I could talk about the content of the letter.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

The minister hasn't even seen it yet.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

You understand that there is something in the letter that the Liberal members of the committee… Actually, I'd like to point out that they haven't talked much about canola today.

Madam Minister, do you think the restrictions on canola are politically motivated, yes or no?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

I can't answer with a yes or no.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Do you think Canada should appoint an ambassador to China? Do you think that could help to solve the crisis, yes or no?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

If you want to play this game, Mr. Berthold, you won't get many answers.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

So I see that you are refusing to answer.

Thank you very much.

I'll let Mr. Dreeshen continue.

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Thank you very much.

Madam Minister, you indicated that you'd written to your counterpart in China and that you have not heard back. We have a situation where tariffs were placed on pulses in India. I'm curious whether or not we're getting any responses back. We also have issues where there are non-tariff trade barriers on durum wheat in Italy. It's interesting...whether or not we're getting any responses back. When we are dealing with a country like China and they see the lack of action that we take with all of these other issues that Canadian farmers have, perhaps that could indicate to you why it is that farmers are so concerned and so upset.

When a question comes, such as whether we're going to have an ambassador in China who actually knows what is happening.... This is such a critical time. There are lots of ambassadors who we could move around to make sure that this happens. It is a very serious question.

There are also discussions, as you said, that you're going to go to other countries, to Japan. Do you know what the crush capacity is for Japan? Because people would insinuate from that discussion that there is another extra market that you can have for this canola. Are they not already at maximum capacity? It means that this canola has to go somewhere.

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

There were many questions in your question.

I understand that we have different issues with China, with durum wheat in Italy, with pulses in India. I think we should not look at them with the same lens because there are different reasons that we have challenges. In some cases, it could be more a matter of prioritizing their own culture. Another one could be more a citizen movement. What we really want to insist on—and we are pushing in different international and multilateral forums—is to have an international trade rule order. This is the reason we're pushing it because—

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Therefore, you're talking about a science-based decision—

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Absolutely.

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

—but we also know, and we've heard from all of the actors associated with this, that there is no science-based reason for our canola not being accepted. You indicated a moment ago that you couldn't answer that, but other people are answering that for you. They are making sure that we understand that this is a political issue. I think it is so important that this is recognized.

We have other political issues, and I'm looking at the time today and hoping for opportunities maybe the next time you come so that we could speak about them. You spoke about a food policy for Canada and you indicated that you had gone to Toronto to be able to bring a group of people together to speak to that. I suggest that your food policy should be going out, and you should be talking to the producers of food—

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

We are.

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

—not just considering what the newest trend is and what the next commercial and market share approach is going to be from various companies. Go speak to the producers, and I appreciate that that is something that you're looking at.

The Manitoba agriculture minister talked about a new aid plan and suggested that it is not a substitute for trade when we're talking about the advance payment program. People perhaps get the wrong impression. All you are doing is getting an opportunity to borrow more money. Your bank knows that this is a lien on the crops that you have, and if you're going to get canola—it was $10.50 a bushel about two months ago, it's down to $9.50—you've already lost that. If we can't do something to help the markets, what are you going to pay this money back with?

I think it's significant, the amounts raised. For the amounts, you probably have to be a farm of at least 6,000 acres before you ever would be able to come close to reaching the maximums that are there. Are you looking at other things that you could do in the meantime in order to help us through this crisis? By that, I'm specifically speaking to discussions with the Chinese.

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

I'm ready to answer any questions you have asked today when I have an answer to give you. First, just to make it clear, we are talking with the farmers. The working group is very important. We're talking directly with some farmers but also with their official representatives. We are making our path forward to solve the crisis with China, to solve this situation with China with them.

I understand what you said about the APP, the advance payments program: It's a loan. The objective of this program is to facilitate farmers' lives in terms of cash flow to allow them to get the best price at the best moment. This is what we have been asked for by the Premier of Saskatchewan—just to give one example—and also by the working group.

We are monitoring the situation. We are doing what we think is the best thing at the right moment. The first top priority is to reopen the market with China, and we are taking all the actions we think are best to find a solution to that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Thank you, Madam Minister. I'm going to have to pass it on to the other ones. I know there's a lot of material there, and hopefully we'll get to answer it.

Mr. Peschisolido, you have six minutes.

[Joe Peschisolido, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Mr. Chair, thank you.

Minister, welcome to our committee. This is your first visit. I'm sure it will be the first of many visits.

As you know, in British Columbia we're having a resurgence of farming. There's a whole new crop of young farmers getting involved and attracted to the land. There's a great organization called the Canadian Young Farmers' Forum, and they have a very strong presence in B.C.

Can you talk a bit about what you or the government is doing to encourage individuals to get involved in farming, and talk a little about young farmers and how we're interfacing with them?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

We are interfacing in different ways. As I had the chance to say—but maybe I said it in French—it is very important to me to get the new generation involved.

We see that they are anxious to own land and to buy farms. There's really a challenge because our farms now are worth.... You know, it's a lot of money. We have to do better to support them and to ease the intergenerational transfer.

It's important to have the new generation around the decision table as well. This is also something that, as the first woman minister, I take as a personal responsibility, to work with the different associations to make sure that they think about it seriously and take concrete actions to make sure they have more diversity on their boards.

We have different programs supporting them, like AgriDiversity. There are some programs that target the new generation and the lowest represented groups in the business.

[Joe Peschisolido, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Minister, you mentioned diversity in farming. In B.C., as you know, we have a vibrant traditional farming sector but also a very vibrant organic sector.

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Yes.

[Joe Peschisolido, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

In my neck of the woods, in Steveston—Richmond East, we have both.

Can you talk a bit about what the government is doing to encourage organic farming?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Do you want a concrete example? It's really a sector that is also of great interest. I think that when we roll out the food policy and especially promote Canadian products, there will be something very interesting to do with them.

Did you have something else to add?

[Annette Gibbons]

I'm just going to say that we have ongoing working groups with various agricultural sectors, and there is an organic—we call them value chain round tables, and we do have one with them. There's an opportunity there to really get a good sense of what the issues are and to be able to address their priorities through our various programs. I would say it's really writ large.