Agriculture Committee on Nov. 30th, 2023

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

That's excellent.

We also agree on how urgent it is to adopt the code of conduct for food retailers and their suppliers.

I see that you are also continuing Ms. Bibeau's efforts in this area, together with Quebec's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mr. Lamontagne, to ensure that this code of conduct is adopted as soon as possible.

Is that right?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Absolutely, and it's a pleasure. Mr. Lamontagne has been on the issue much longer than I have. He's able to inform me of a previous thing that's been going on for over two years, but we've made a lot of progress, or rather, we haven't made it; it's the industry itself. The code is an industry-led initiative—it's so vitally important to say that—and that's what we want.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Thank you.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Hopefully, it will be announced very shortly.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

I apologize for interrupting you yet again, Minister.

I' m going to move on now to the excise tax. You are aware that owing to a complaint made by Australia, the government had to adjust its taxation for wine producers.

Last year, we received an exemption for mead, among other things. There is still an exemption for producers of alcoholic beverages based on maple syrup or berries.

I' d like to know whether you are also part of the same team in this matter. Can we hope to see this exemption in the coming months?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

As you know, we're quite successful in the dairy sector. We will work very hard to make sure we're successful in the wine sector, a very important industry in the country.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Okay. Very good.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kody Blois]

Thank you very much, Mr. Perron. I' m sorry, but your speaking time is up.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. MacAuley.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kody Blois]

I am now giving the floor to Mr. MacGregor, for two and a half minutes.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Minister, in your opening remarks you made mention of the fact that your government met with the grocery CEOs.

Last week, the CEO of Metro, Eric La Flèche, was interviewed in Quebec media, and he openly admitted that his meeting with Minister Champagne had zero impact on food prices—zero impact.

We live in a country where 80% of our grocery market is dominated by five players.

From your perspective, is not a small part of you a bit frustrated that these CEOs seem to be thumbing their nose at your government and thumbing their nose at the Canadian public? Why are we showing so much corporate deference when so many Canadians, for over 20 months, have been suffering from out-of-control food price inflation?

You've seen the figures at Canadian food banks. For that figure to exist in Canada, a country that counts itself as one of the big agricultural powerhouses, is a shameful record on us.

The fact is that you have a CEO coming out and saying that the meeting did nothing. Is not a small part of you a bit angry that a stern talking to didn't work? What more are you going to be doing to bring the CEOs to heel?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

If you're going to get angry in this business, you'd be angry all the time, and that simply cannot be, I'll tell you that.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

I doubt if a meeting would do much on the price of food, not to be inconsiderate in my answer, but the fact is, yes, what I hope, expect and think will happen is that a grocery code will be released. There is some dispute as to who will join it and who will not join it.

It's important to realize that it's industry-led, not government-led. I met with my provincial counterparts on this issue, and the provinces are agreeable to help with the funding and put an adjudicator in place. What we want to do and what we hope will happen in meeting with all groups in the supply chain is that this code of conduct for groceries is put out and no doubt will be acted upon. If certain groups do not join it, possibly there will be some pressure on them, because if you do not join it, there's a reason you are not joining it. I expect the public would be quite interested in that.

It's important that we meet with these five retailers, but of course Bill...C-56, I think it is, would give us more chance to expand the grocery retailers. There are things that we're working at in government, and sometimes I get my numbers mixed up. The truth is that what we want to do is make sure we expand the retail end of it, because it looks like probably there are five major ones and a few smaller ones, but we need more competition in that sector.

[The Chair, Liberal, Kody Blois]

Thank you, Mr. MacGregor, and thank you, Minister.

In fact, we'll be calling those CEOs before our committee in the days ahead. Mr. MacGregor, you'll have the ability to ask those questions alongside all of us.

We are now beginning the second round of questions.

Mr. Lehoux now has the floor for five minutes.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you Minister, for being here with us this morning,

I' m going to ask a brief question, Minister, and would appreciate a short answer.

You are no doubt aware of the fact that on December 22, only three weeks from now, the largest pork slaughterhouse in Quebec will be closing its doors. That means 992 jobs in my riding will be lost. It's a major issue because pork is an export market. The closing and reopening of markets in China and elsewhere have been affecting this market.

At the very beginning of your opening comments, you spoke about the opening of an agriculture and agri-food office in the Philippines. When will that office be up and running?

I know—and I hope you do too, Minister—how important it is to develop and open new markets internationally.

Will this office in the Philippines be opening its doors over the next few months or weeks? Is it already open?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

First of all, the plant closing hurts, without a question. It's an industry decision, but it hurts. I understand quite clearly, whether you're in politics or not, that seeing something like that happen hurts.

Looking at the demand for meat and protein, and looking at what's taking place around the world, I'm very optimistic that there will be a much bigger demand for all our products.

I just want to say this. In Manila—and of course we've been there previously—why we have that office opening there is to make sure that, for that area of the world, it means we're not just dropping in, but we're there to stay.

Thank you.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

I have a very simple question, Minister. When will this office be opening?

It is indeed always disappointing when jobs are lost. you can answer my first question, but I'm going to ask a second one immediately.

The cause of that company's closing in my region was the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's mishandling of problems encountered in processing the papers of immigrant workers. Things always run late when the records of temporary foreign workers are being processed. That's what has happened with 300 workers. I've been an MP for four years, and I've been doing battle on this issue for four years now.

You introduced a pilot project for recognized employers. When will this pilot project, launched jointly with the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, become permanent? Will it speed up the hiring process? Companies have had to shut down because of extremely long delays in processing immigrant workers.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Temporary foreign workers were always a big issue. Of course, it's an issue that I dealt with all my political life, because we can't open our fish plants without them.

On the office in Manila, we hope to make an announcement very shortly. I do not want to give you a date, because we have to be sure that it's going to happen when I say it's going to happen.

As I said, by being in that area, what we're trying to do is make sure they understand we're there for the long term. That's what the office is for.

Thank you.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Thank you, Minister.

Before giving the floor to my colleague, I'd like to send you a message. The closing of Olymel in my riding is in large part the result of problems with foreign workers, along with some other factors.

Other food processing companies are going to have major problems unless we can quickly sort out this situation.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Of course, I agree and would take any input you have on temporary foreign workers because, my colleague, I understand full well how important this is.

The only thing I want to do is make sure that none of your industries are not working, because—

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Rather than hearing about the fact that you understand the importance of the situation, Minister, I' d rather see some concrete action on the ground.

I will now give the floor to my colleague.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Minister, I have a few quick questions.

How many organizations have you heard from that are not in favour of Bill C-234? How many farm organizations have come to you to actually ask that it be implemented?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

I think most of the sectors understand quite clearly that we have to deal with the climate issue and—

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

No. I just want the number. How many organizations have been in favour?