Again, for most of the members, I think the original ask from the CPC was for $30 a hog. I believe, Mr. Menzies, you would likely have seen that.
That was fair value. The way we derived our formula was that we extrapolated from the $30 a hog based on what we've been told. We work with members of Parliament in our area, who say, “Don't come to this government with a problem, come with a solution.” So over many nights, we ran through some numbers. Yes, the numbers are for Ontario, and I can appreciate that this is a federal committee. Could this work? Probably eastern Canada would have common numbers or western Canada would have common numbers.
The pork industry has supported this economy. We talk about infrastructure dollars. That's out of our pockets. I was at a meeting the other day, and--without using numbers--a farmer stood up and said that he has lost x dollars. Everything he has done since the day he started farming he has borrowed against. If he walks away tomorrow, he walks away with zero. He's in good shape compared to a lot of the industry.
I'm not here to criticize the programs that were announced. I don't think there's enough time today to deal with that. But the hog industry, I think, actually deserves more respect than it has gotten.
My opening quote sat on the wall in the office for years. I always said that if I ever make an important presentation, I think I'll use it.
We in this country have to decide whether we are going to produce our own food. Yes, we export food, but we've shown the numbers and the value. In 2005, there was a grains and oilseeds payment. It was a big number--$800 million and some.
I believe you're a grain farmer from the west, Mr. Menzies.