Thank you so much, Chair, and thank you, witnesses, for being here today.
I'm from Saskatchewan. We live to farm and farm to live. We value our environment incredibly. This really is to approach how we deal with food insecurity. I'm very concerned that our environment focus is impacting our ability to do what we do so well, because we're not recognized for what we already do. With the competition challenges that we see across our nation, I totally get that. I don't get to grocery shop much either, like the Prime Minister. I did it one day, and my husband called and said, “Where are you?” I said I was still looking at the romaine lettuce. It is frightening, where we're at.
I understand the work that you do to deal with that competition challenge among the big boys in Canada. That alone, when it comes to competition, is not going to make the difference that we need for everyday Canadians who need to buy their groceries. Have you looked at the co-operatives across western Canada, where it is another alternative? The people who live and shop there also have an investment in it and an opportunity to make a difference in their own lives and with the pricing of food across their province.