I remember when the agreement in principle between Canada and Europe was announced during Thanksgiving weekend. I remember that everyone said we had hit a wall, especially when it came to the dairy industry, for which the agreement led to huge losses. We managed to have a unanimous motion adopted in the House of Commons. We are not sure what the compensations will be following the agreement between Canada and Europe. I assume everyone agrees that the responsibility for enforcing composition standards should be given to the Canadian Dairy Commission.
Mr. Bourbeau, Quebec lost about 250 dairy farms last year. Everyone in the House of Commons recognizes the importance of protecting supply management in our trade agreements and the importance of acting immediately.
We are hearing fine words, but the Canadian government has to stand firm and not throw in the towel. We have to resolve these issues as soon as possible. Can you tell us about the importance of taking action and, perhaps one more time, adopting appropriate measures? I assume that ministers are listening to us and that a report will be submitted.
This is still a complicated situation. It does not only concern the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Four or five ministers are actually involved in this issue. Unless I am mistaken, it is up to the Minister of Health to develop a vision that could bring everyone together. We have to resolve these issues and not only the problem involving milk proteins. We also have to deal with matters pertaining to poultry, cull cows, and so on.