Evidence of meeting #22 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Grain dryers, natural gas.... Is that an on-farm fuel use?
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Irrigation pumps are pumps that are used to irrigate and pivot—the hand moves, the wheel moves—for irrigation. We looked at expanding irrigation in Saskatchewan. Would irrigation pump fuel be considered an on-farm fuel use?
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Okay. Why can't the Canadian government give farmers credit for carbon sequestration that they're already doing, or is that in the works?
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Marie-Claude Bibeau Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
There's a technical committee that will be put in place to analyze and see how we can put in place this offset system. It is, as you know, under the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. We are obviously collaborating with him to make sure that we bring as much data and evidence as possible from the agricultural sector to him. There's not much I can say yet.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Thank you. I'm glad you brought that up.
Fertilizer Canada is a stakeholder of the agriculture minister. They were not consulted on the report “A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy”. They said there is no scientific data to say that they should have to reach the 30% emission reduction in that report. There's no scientific data. Where did that number come from for a 30% reduction in fertilizer production?
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Marie-Claude Bibeau Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
I would have to turn to my colleague at Environment and Climate Change.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Has your department done an economic impact analysis on how much a carbon tax of $170 per tonne will cost Canadian producers?
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Marie-Claude Bibeau Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
Once again, it's not my department that is responsible for that. We have committed—
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
You're responsible for agriculture, which reaches across the country.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
When you talk to your environment colleague, the environment minister, are you saying $170 per tonne is going to have an adverse effect on agriculture producers across this country?
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Marie-Claude Bibeau Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
We are committed to studying what level of rebate we should be giving to the agricultural sector for on-farm fuel. This is something we are looking at very seriously right now.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Thank you very much.
I know you recently had a call with Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack. I'm wondering, during that phone call, did you bring up COOL? You know it as country of origin labelling. You talked about how there are going to be new order measures. Have we been prepared and are we preparing to fight COOL once again in cases brought up by the U.S. administration?
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Marie-Claude Bibeau Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
Yes, I did. He reassured me that he would be respectful of our international agreements and the WTO rules.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
We may have to fight that again at the WTO. Have we been preparing to have that fight?
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Marie-Claude Bibeau Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
We would always be prepared to defend our farmers. He reassured me that he doesn't intend to have a fight at the WTO.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Sometimes we don't even defend them at home.
I'm glad your colleague brought up the negligible risk on BSE status. If that is granted, will you look at reviewing and repealing the SRM requirements, specific risk material, that beef processors currently have in Canada? It is very detrimental and makes our beef processors uncompetitive, because the SRM is very difficult for them to process and then have it removed from their processing facilities. It was broadened in 2003 because of the BSE cases.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Marie-Claude Bibeau Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
You're talking about the pieces of meat that they have to take away.