That's an interesting question. Thank you.
On the carbon pricing, for example.... I am from the greenhouse vegetables sector, in British Columbia. As you know, we get an 80% rebate of carbon tax paid at this time, but we did pay the carbon tax for three years prior to having our rebate. The carbon tax is one reason why I have the job at the BC Greenhouse Growers' Association, because we stopped growing. I have five acres of greenhouse and the cost of the carbon tax to my operation was $50,000, which meant I didn't draw a salary for the last three or four years of our operation.
I don't know how you reconcile it, but we would ask that the government and anyone related, like this committee, look long and hard at whether or not they want food sovereignty and food security from Canadian producers. Then there are the enabling policies that can be used to reach our mutual success in growing the agrifood sector. The greenhouse sector is definitely poised and ready to move forward in meeting the export goals of Agri-Food Canada, but we need a recognition that there is a demand, and an understanding that agriculture does need recognition as being important to our economy.