Evidence of meeting #58 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A video is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Thank you, Mr. Minister.
We have about four or five minutes left.
Monsieur Ritz, two or three minutes, and then we'll try to get one final one to Madame Brosseau.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen, Minister, it's good to see you here today. It's like old home week.
You mentioned maintaining the crop logistics working group. I think that's the right move. As you say, data is what makes the railways perform, and shippers need to know what's out there.
You're also going to extend the system for Quorum, Mark Hemmes and his working group.
Will they be able to collect week-by-week, corridor-by-corridor data, or is the devil is in the details in making sure that Mark has the ability to collect that week by week? That's very important. Yes or no?
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
The fact is that the process will evolve and it will come out as to how.
We don't have all the answers. They just announced today, so the information will come.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
What they're there for, Mr. Ritz, is to make sure—and you know why they're there—that the farmers know what's going on, and that you and I know what's going on.
That's what's vitally important, and we want to make sure that happens.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Okay. Yes, great.
Trade is vital to Canadian agriculture. We're going to grow it to $75 billion. I think we can probably do better than that.
However, you don't mention TPP in here at all, and that's very important to Canadian agriculture. You've left that out. You haven't made any comment about the distribution of cheese coming in from the European Union. That's really where the rubber hits the road as to who's going to handle all of that.
Those types of details we hope will be forthcoming.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
Yes, they are.
I haven't mentioned every possible trade deal that we could have in this country. I'm not the minister of trade, but I'm vitally interested in trade.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I understand how important trade is.
That's why we made sure, as a government, that we put CETA in place and approved it, to make sure that the farmers had proper access to half a billion people.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
We're open to any trade market anywhere, Mr. Ritz. I can assure you.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Sure.
The other thing that's very important when it comes to trade is maintaining agricultural people in the embassies and consulates around the world, along with CFIA in some of the dedicated markets.
Is that on your agenda as well, to make sure you have, not Foreign Affairs people with an ag file, but actual ag-dedicated people? We've seen how they're worth their weight in gold in these markets.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I appreciate your concern and question.
I'm not very big on closing embassies. I want to make sure that we have the proper people, that we have the agricultural expertise in the embassies, so that different people are able to explain to our customers exactly what we have.
We have 34 ag trade commissioners in different countries around the world. My deputy just gave me the information.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Thank you, Mr. Ritz.
Ms. Brosseau, you have a minute or two, after which, we will end the meeting.
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
When will the Minister of International Trade announce what he's going to do with the distribution of cheese when it comes to CETA? Will it be soon?
1 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
Of course, Ms. Brosseau, I have to leave it to the minister of trade.
1 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
I don't want to infringe on his territory, but I think it's shortly.
1 p.m.
NDP
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Perfect.
Recently we had a private member's bill before the House of Commons that would facilitate the transfer of family farms. Sadly, that bill didn't even get to committee. There was nothing in the budget to facilitate and ease the transfer of family farms.
What kind of measures are you going to do to help the transfer of family farms?
1 p.m.
Liberal
Lawrence MacAulay Liberal Cardigan, PE
As I indicated before on a question on family farms, it's a big problem. We have increased the funding for young farmers from $500,000 to $1 million, but I know with buying a farm, there are many more dollars involved. It's something that we're looking at and will continue to look at.
There's a wide range of federal programs that agricultural young people can look at. There's the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act program, and, as I indicated, support for young farmers and the career focus program that funds 65 agricultural partnerships.
There are a number of programs that you can enter into, but the transfer is a big expense, and I understand.