Thank you, Minister, for being here. I appreciate your time and your information.
In my riding of Kitchener—Conestoga, our dairy farmers are vital to our community. Across Canada, dairy farmers are a key driver to our economy. I think there are about 10,000 farms, 500 dairy processing plants, about $17 billion in sales and about 70,000 jobs in Canada.
What I want to talk about is the Canadian dairy innovation fund, which we announced in budget 2023. I would like to speak to you about that investment innovation fund and ask how the government is supporting the industry with this innovation fund and supporting supply management sectors across the country.