Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Perron.
The key to helping processors is to provide subsidies and financial tools that lead to better cash flow. As Ms. Cloutier said earlier, processors' margins have dropped, so they need mechanisms that enable them to spread out investments over time.
In the case of fruit and vegetable production, for instance, the equipment amortization period is very short. Consider peas, beans and corn, which have a harvest of 45 to 60 days a year. Equipment costs have to be amortized over a very short period of the year, not 12 months. The sector needs financial tools that take those unique aspects of production into account. Meat processing is a type of production that spans 12 months. If, however, the government wants to improve food self-sufficiency when it comes to vegetable production, better tools and equipment are needed to speed up the process, reduce the labour required and, above all, support long-term capitalization.
I hope I answered your question properly.