Finance Committee on Oct. 19th, 2010

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

So it would be matching the government and JDRF?

[Andrew McKee]

And JDRF, yes.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Okay, great, thank you.

Now to the folks from the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. McDonald, in your brief you spoke a little bit about the cross-border situation. In Quebec we're having some difficulties where some border crossings are being closed. Is that happening in your area? Are there enough resources for the border crossings, or....?

[Garry McDonald]

If you're referring to lack of manpower, we haven't seen that at this point. There's a real slowdown at the border crossings, but they're not being closed.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

A slowdown in what sense?

[Garry McDonald]

There's a slowdown in being able to enter, particularly to the United States. It's a very slow process going in that direction.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Is that a problem on the U.S. side or on the Canadian side? Would that be a problem on the U.S. side when one is coming from Canada?

[Garry McDonald]

That's correct, for our citizens and for their citizens and for commercial vehicles with their security clearances.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Is that from a lack of resources, or is it just because of more vigilance on their side?

[Garry McDonald]

There's speculation that it could be a lack of resources, but it's purely speculation on my part.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Okay.

Would there be a recommendation to try to make that more efficient?

[Garry McDonald]

Absolutely.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

What would the recommendation be: combining resources, or....?

[Garry McDonald]

From our standpoint, it would be to ensure that our border service agency work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure there's adequate funding through their federal budget, where most of that is controlled, to ensure they have sufficient funds to operate their border crossings and to really bring together a lot of the security clearance programs, which are full of a lot of red tape and slow down the vehicle crossings.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Okay, thank you.

Monsieur Carrier, s'il vous plâit.

[Robert Carrier, Bloc, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Yesterday, we heard from the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada. Today, I was expecting to hear at least one presentation in French, perhaps from Mr. Guilbeault. That would have been a nice opportunity to highlight the presence of the francophone community.

My first question will be to the representatives of the Ontario-Quebec Grain Farmers Coalition. The Bloc Québécois is well aware of the significance of the well-known AgriFlex program. Since the program is intended for both Ontario and Quebec, what is the percentage that is allocated to both?

[William Van Tassel]

Before answering that, I would like to apologize for the fact that we did not give at least part of our presentation in French. Our regular translator has found another job; and so we had no one to translate for us. I apologize.

[Robert Carrier, Bloc, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Oh well, maybe next time.

[William Van Tassel]

Agristability fund serves Canada as a whole. The minister decides how the funds will be allocated.

We have always called for an AgriFlex fund that could also provide income security. The fund would be based on the volume of agriculture in each province. It would be a pan-Canadian fund, but funding levels would be correlated to farm production in each province. For example, Quebec would receive approximately 13%.

[Robert Carrier, Bloc, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Why do you state in your brief that the federal government is reluctant to discuss or establish flexible, regional programs? That is something you indicated.

[Leo Guilbeault]

The federal programs are national programs. Farming out west, where Mr. Menzies comes from, is very different from that in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan or Nova Scotia.

Canada is such a vast country that a single farm program cannot respond to the needs of all provinces. With regard to the AgriFlex fund, we are saying that the provinces have a better understanding of what works for them.

If we were to take the federal dollars and invest them more in regional programs, by province, that would improve the farming situation because the needs in Canada are very different owing to our country's agricultural diversity.

[Robert Carrier, Bloc, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

However, it seems to me that the normal thing to do would be to adapt programs to regional particularities because, as you have said, Canada is a huge country with circumstances that differ greatly from one region to another.

Earlier, you answered that the program serves the entire country. Are Quebec and Ontario the largest beneficiaries? Where is the program implemented?

[William Van Tassel]

You have to understand that we had asked for the program we had talked about a little earlier, i.e., the AgriFlex fund, but it does not work as we had envisaged. However, it is a pan-Canadian program.

There are provincial programs that could function more effectively with federal funding, such as the Risk Management Program (RMP) in Ontario and the ASRA Program in Quebec, i.e., the Farm Income Stabilization Insurance program. The AgriFlex fund would be the appropriate vehicle to fund those programs.

[Robert Carrier, Bloc, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Would you agree then that the federal government transfer funds to the provinces that want to improve how those programs operate?

[William Van Tassel]

Yes.