Good afternoon.
I am chair of the Union des producteurs agricoles, but I am also co-chair of the Food Sovereignty Coalition.
This coalition has existed in Quebec for nine years, and also has members elsewhere in Canada. Currently the coalition has 62 member-organizations. Several of our members also represent sectors that have just spoken here. Our coalition is very interested in all of the aspects of a future food policy for Canada.
We believe that this food policy for Canada should be prepared in co-operation and jointly with the provincial governments, because agriculture and food are matters of shared jurisdiction. Interprovincial agricultural trade is under federal jurisdiction, but everything that concerns agriculture falls under provincial jurisdiction.
In discussing a national food policy, one question comes to mind immediately. I would like someone to explain to us how Canada, with the provinces, will be able to fulfil its commitments and execute this food policy in the context of the Canadian federation; this is an important question.
There is also the regulation of markets to be considered. We are a coalition for the exemption of agriculture and food. There are two ways governments can intervene, either through regulation, since they are legislators, or financially. The government can offer support, investment and guidance. Those are the two ways in which a government may intervene.
We think that when it comes to regulation, government must better regulate agricultural markets to see to it, as was mentioned earlier, that prices are fair and equitable for all citizens, regardless of their incomes or location. Access to food as such is not sufficient; it must be affordable for all Canadian citizens.
The right to food has been discussed and I won't belabour that. Rather, I will talk about the multisectoral aspect of that policy.
This does fall under the Department of Agriculture, but it should really become a government policy, that is to say that each department and state organization should take it into account when any decision is made that could have a impact on food and agriculture in Canada.
I am going to use the words “agriculture and food” often, because we consider that they necessarily belong together in our thinking about a food policy.
I will now talk about the producers. Citizens are also consumers. Surveys of citizens reveal that they are very demanding: they want to live in a healthy environment; they want agricultural practices to be as clean as possible; they want water, the water table and rivers to be protected, they want a diverse agriculture, and so on and so forth.
However, when we analyze the behaviours of consumers, we see that they are not always aligned with what citizens are asking for. Prices are often what determine citizens' behaviour. Governments intervene with producers according to the will of the citizens, but sometimes we, as producers, have trouble meeting the consumer's primary objective: paying as little as possible for food.
You must take this dilemma into account. Stringent agricultural practices are imposed in Canada, but we allow imported products from places where these practices or requirements are not respected. This puts Canadian agriculture at a disadvantage with regard to its competitors.
I will now talk about the strategic framework. This is the year the actual agricultural strategic framework comes to an end. In 2018 we will have a new agricultural policy. A federal-provincial agreement was concluded in July. However, the Canadian government has already determined that the amounts allocated to the future agricultural framework will be the same as they are now for the 2013 framework. In addition, with regard to the strategic framework adopted in 2008, there was a $260-million yearly cut in 2013. People are patting themselves on the back about the implementation of a new food policy, whereas our main agricultural policy, the strategic framework, will be receiving less support than it did in 2008. Consequently, I am worried about the capacity of agricultural producers to meet consumers' demands in the context of that new agricultural policy.
The labelling of food is another important element in that policy. I think that labelling needs to be national so that consumers can make sense of it. Currently there is a lot of pressure concerning GMO labelling in Quebec. The Union des producteurs agricoles and the Food Sovereignty Coalition are in agreement with the labelling of GMOs, if it is national. We can't have very different labelling from one province to the other.