Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, everyone.
It's good to see you all again via this video conference.
My first question is for Deputy Minister Forbes. Several plants have had to close their doors because of numerous cases of COVID-19. Some of them reopened a few days or weeks later. The Cargill plant in Alberta reopened yesterday, May 4, with a reduced workforce. So what is the federal government going to do about it?
You announced a cattle buyback program today, but this is a plant that processes more than 40% of Canada's cattle production and has reopened with half of its staff.
What steps will the department take to support producers who are having to keep their animals on the farm longer?