Thank you for the question.
The transfer of a farm is always an important step in the life of the transferor and the person taking over. A number of human aspects need to be considered. The training on farm transfers is all well and good, but each case is different. As the Grain Growers of Canada representative said, some businesses have more debt and others less. From the outset, the financial situation varies from one business to another.
We have been talking about retiring transferors. The weight of all the accumulated steps can be too heavy for them to carry and may end up discouraging them from going ahead with the transfer. The new generation can very well be extremely energetic and hard-working, but we are talking about the transferor in this case. Their business is their life, their passion, and their way of life. In the end, if all the steps accumulate and are added to the many other obstacles that already exist, the transferor could very well decide that they have simply had enough.
Canada cannot afford to lose farm businesses. As we know, farmers are important. The next generation is there, but it lacks means. Being a farmer is a whole way of life. Agriculture is part of the regional and economic vitality.
So the bill would remove a thorn from farmers' side. It would be a good step. It would remove a weight from the shoulders of transferors and successors, who could then focus on the human and administrative aspects of a farm transfer.