Evidence of meeting #3 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was producers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, Planning, Coordination and Disaster Assessment Division, Business Risk Management Programs Directorate, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Yes. It is impacting many farmers and many sectors, so in terms of the collective experience, it could be characterized as being a collective experience.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Okay.
With the unprecedented heat dome event and the subsequent drought—again, it was the highest temperature in Abbotsford in our recorded history—would that qualify as an extraordinary event and trigger this program?
Executive Director, Planning, Coordination and Disaster Assessment Division, Business Risk Management Programs Directorate, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
In regard to the summer events that led to drought and obviously wildfires within British Columbia, there was an assessment done in regard to those disaster events in each province. Again, there is a current active program initiative that's taking place in British Columbia to deal with both the drought and the wildfire impacts that have happened.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
So this unprecedented series of events that would trigger the framework would trigger, I assume, a funding request to government. Is that correct? Help me on the process.
Executive Director, Planning, Coordination and Disaster Assessment Division, Business Risk Management Programs Directorate, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
The AgriRecovery process starts when a province makes a formal request to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to start an assessment. Once the province has done that, that really initiates the process to create a task team to study the disaster event and look at the criteria that are part of the AgriRecovery framework to see how that disaster event meets those criteria.
As we complete that assessment, we're exploring the level of the significant impact and the significant costs that are there. We're exploring what current programs can respond—
Executive Director, Planning, Coordination and Disaster Assessment Division, Business Risk Management Programs Directorate, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
—and then targeting a response—
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
I'm sorry. My time is short.
Has British Columbia triggered or requested that funding be given?
Executive Director, Planning, Coordination and Disaster Assessment Division, Business Risk Management Programs Directorate, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
It was on November 19 that B.C. formally put in a request to have an AgriRecovery assessment, so that is what started the process. We've been working very closely with British Columbia, as well as with some of our other federal colleagues and Public Safety, to do the proper assessment regarding those disaster recovery costs.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
What kinds of losses and what portion of losses would be covered?
Executive Director, Planning, Coordination and Disaster Assessment Division, Business Risk Management Programs Directorate, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
In regard to the types of extraordinary expenses or costs, Francesco provided some of those. To be more specific, we're looking at the lost feed and the feed that producers may have to purchase in order to feed their animals. We're looking at the transportation of those animals and whether they need to be taken away from those flood zones and moved to a safer location. It could be the rental of certain facilities to house those animals. There's livestock safety and health, veterinary costs that producers have to incur to make sure their animals are safe and healthy. There are mortality costs. We know that producers are going to have to replace some of their breeding stock.
When we look at the scale of flooding and the amount of damage that's been done to the land and soil, there are a lot of land remediation costs that must be undertaken to—
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Again, my time is short. I have maybe 15 seconds.
If a farmer is not insured under the AgriRisk program—failed to get insured or refused to be insured—do these AgriRecovery funding programs supersede the AgriInsurance program?
Liberal
January 31st, 2022 / 12:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Planning, Coordination and Disaster Assessment Division, Business Risk Management Programs Directorate, Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food
AgriRecovery explores all of the support available through the BRM programs currently and then looks to target the costs that the producer cannot manage. It looks to fill that remaining gap.
Conservative
Conservative
Dave Epp Conservative Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON
As a regular member of this committee, could I ask that these officials bring back to this committee the questions that were asked earlier about the AgriRecovery funding, as well as the accounts with AgriInvest?
Second, given that our Thursday seems to have opened up, would it not be prudent to extend the invitation to the B.C. agri-food officials? Our colleagues could return to ask them their specific questions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Kody Blois
As it relates to the question of the witnesses providing further information, that is fair game.
If you're proposing a motion right now on the floor to do a Thursday study, that's something that, ultimately, would have to be hashed out in the short time that we have remaining on the floor. It was agreed upon in camera as we.... We laid out in the subcommittee report the elements of where we want to go. If you believe that we need to go in a different direction, that's a conversation we can have.
I see Mr. Drouin's hand, so I'd like to recognize him, and perhaps we can continue.
Liberal
Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Mr. Chair, what I suggest to Mr. Epp is that, given the fact that we may have time on Monday.... To give enough time for witnesses, I would suggest that Mr. Epp bring his point to the Monday meeting. Perhaps that would give enough time for the witnesses to appear.
As you have noted, the invitation was extended to the B.C. government. I don't want for us to seek out another invitation and then find that, because of the short notice, they can't make it.
Conservative
Dave Epp Conservative Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON
If I could clarify, the information I was looking for specific to AgriInvest was B.C. information.
If I could ask for the unanimous consent of the room, would we all be in agreement to invite those B.C. officials back?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Kody Blois
Just so I'm clear, Mr. Epp, and I will consult with the clerk, what you're asking for is additional information that would be privy to the British Columbia department of agriculture and the officials with the B.C. government, not information that you're seeking from the witnesses who are before us today.
Conservative
Dave Epp Conservative Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON
It's two things. It's that specific information for B.C. accounts, as well as for the officials to come back and testify.