Evidence of meeting #39 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was local.
A video is available from Parliament.
General Manager, Prince Edward Island Potato Board
We agree. We very much support dropping the tariffs because it's essentially making us....
As Krista said earlier, we produce enough potatoes here to feed 25 million people their annual potato needs. We're already far from the market, so we have a lot of things that we have to overcome. The cost of production is, obviously, very important. Our competitors in other jurisdictions have access to fertilizer products at much lower costs, so we would definitely like to see those tariffs removed.
Conservative
David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB
Would you say it's a very self-defeating program to have these tariffs in place?
Conservative
General Manager, Prince Edward Island Potato Board
As I said, we have only 180,000 people on P.E.I., so we have to export our product, not only throughout our own country but to the U.S. and other markets around the world, at great distances. Our cost of production is a significant factor, so if we have to pay more money for fertilizer, obviously it's going to be hard to compete against areas where they don't pay those tariffs.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Michael Coteau
Thank you so much.
Next, we'll go to MP Dandurand of the Liberals for five minutes.
Liberal
Marianne Dandurand Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses for being with us to tell us about their reality in terms of food uncertainty. It's very important. I also thank them for their work.
I'm going to direct my questions to Mr. Bibeau, whom I know well, as he works with agricultural producers and vulnerable people in my region.
Mr. Bibeau, that was some powerful testimony. I was watching my colleagues' reactions, and I saw that they were distressed by the statistics you shared with us. One of the things you said was that 46% of food in Canada is wasted.
You talked about a few initiatives to improve things. Could you tell us more about that? Do you have any other ideas to help us reduce food waste?
General Manager, Moisson Estrie
Yes, the numbers are staggering. I would remind you that these figures are from a 2024 study conducted by Second Harvest, a Canada-wide organization. This issue is very serious and very concerning.
We're going to put other initiatives in place. For example, we want to establish a relationship with produce growers in order to recover ugly produce, the vegetables that produce growers can't sell on the regular commercial market. Again, that's a direct loss to farmers. We're going to carry out the same project for berry production, including blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. We're going to salvage the berries that would otherwise stay on the bush or fall to the ground. In other words, they would be wasted.
Among all the people we meet every year, including meat, vegetable and berry producers, I have never met anyone who was proud of wasting food. On the contrary, producers in Canada and Quebec are proud to feed their communities and do their important work. Upcycling products that would otherwise become losses for these people is also a way of recognizing the essential work they do every day to feed communities.
As far as the 150% tax deduction I mentioned earlier is concerned, it is not a silver bullet. However, it is a concrete solution for producers, for valuing their work, for recognizing what they do and for ensuring that food waste is reduced and redistributed to the people who need it.
Liberal
Marianne Dandurand Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
There are two categories: there are vegetable farmers, whose produce remains in the fields, and there are meat producers, whose meat is not consumed. What distinction should we make? Does the tax credit apply in the same way? Do producers have the same need to ensure these products aren't wasted? I don't think the situation is the same for someone who leaves vegetables in the field as it is for someone who sends an animal to the slaughterhouse.
General Manager, Moisson Estrie
You're right. There is obviously a distinction to be made between the two. Agricultural businesses that produce pork, poultry or beef, for example, often have infrastructure and operating methods that enable them to generate revenue, among other things. For these businesses, the tax deduction is very important.
For vegetable growers or berry growers, we often develop projects that provide compensation to these producers in order to give their products direct monetary value, since the tax deduction is less significant given that their income is lower. So it works on two levels.
What's important to us is to recover these food items and find the right approach.
Liberal
General Manager, Moisson Estrie
This is indeed a challenge that exists in the agricultural sector as well as elsewhere. One of the areas we're focusing on is mobilizing communities, schools, businesses and citizens. We want them to lend a hand in the fields by volunteering their time to support producers, thereby helping them reduce their production costs. What's more, it's a fully fledged community activity.
Liberal
Marianne Dandurand Liberal Compton—Stanstead, QC
Thank you, Mr. Bibeau. I think that's all the time I had. Thank you for being here.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Michael Coteau
Thank you very much.
We'll go to the Bloc for two and a half minutes.
Bloc
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Bibeau, I'd like to continue with you, because I think it's important to discuss issues that highlight just how much food banks like yours are part of the solution. I want to put this into a broader perspective—namely, that programs are becoming less and less suited to the reality of people on the ground. We know that the profile of people seeking food assistance has changed dramatically. One in five people has a job. People are turning to food banks because rents are now too high.
We can pour billions of dollars into building housing, but the reality is that it will take time to get it done. In the meantime, people are feeling the impact of all this and are turning more and more to food banks.
What steps should be taken, in the very short term and the medium term, to reduce wealth disparities and reestablish an adequate social safety net?
General Manager, Moisson Estrie
I reiterate that, in the very short term, combatting food waste—recovering the millions of kilograms of food lying idle in our fields or not being used to feed people—is a solution within the reach of Canada and the provinces. These are things we can do at the local, provincial and national levels. In my opinion, we have all the tools we need to take decisive action in this direction. Beyond that, we obviously need to support the construction of public housing. This is very important so that people can reduce the burden of rent on their income or their expenses.
There is also the issue of education to consider. How can we do that? First, we need to relearn how to cook. Second, education can help people escape poverty and, therefore, avoid falling into the cycle of poverty. Education gives people access to better-paying jobs.
Finally, there's the issue of supporting people, and that's what we're doing. Minimum-wage workers with children unfortunately have to rely on food banks from time to time.
Bloc
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
I want to congratulate you on this. You're playing an important leadership role in this area. That's also the case at the Ressourcerie, here at our organization. Thank you for your commitment. I think your solutions will be studied with great interest.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Michael Coteau
Thank you very much. That concludes our meeting.
I will put in a request to take half of our next meeting, hopefully, for the draft instructions.
MP Chatel.
Liberal
Sophie Chatel Liberal Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
In response to my colleagues, the committee invited the minister to the June 18 meeting. If the House of Commons is not in session at that time, we will invite him during the first two weeks after Parliament reconvenes in September.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Michael Coteau
Thank you very much for that update. Are there any questions?
I'd like to thank our witnesses for their patience today and for their commitment to agriculture, a great sector in Canada. Also, thank you for travelling from Newfoundland to join us here today.
Is it the will of the committee to adjourn?