Evidence of meeting #104 for Finance in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pei.
Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture
Yes. That's right. Particularly, if you consider the full economic impact, we remain the largest industry on Prince Edward Island.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
I do at times share your frustration with respect to some of the regulatory regimes. In fisheries and agriculture, Prince Edward Island has a hundred and some odd thousand people. We are really sensitive to and dependent on an export market.
Is that correct?
Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture
Yes. I believe we are here to sell food to the world.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
I agree.
In doing that, we have to be conscious of what the consumer and the regulatory bodies in those areas demand.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
On some of these issues, we have to respond to the marketplace as it dictates to us how some jurisdictions want to see our products arrive.
Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture
Yes. We have to prepare our farmers to comply with what their customers want and what they need for their sustainability goals, which include full scope 3 emissions quantification.
Liberal
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Agriculture deserves a lot in this committee.
This is my final question, Mr. Killorn.
On one hand, the Government of Canada is constantly being challenged to reduce spending. It's an easy phrase. It's a good clip.
Is there any area in which you would want to see the Government of Canada cut the financing towards agriculture?
Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture
No, there is none at all.
October 10th, 2023 / 12:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture
It's a wonderful opportunity to invest in innovation, technology, computer science and engineering. The strategic innovation fund isn't available to our industry because of the nature of the size of our businesses, but the opportunity to design the next generation of farms and incorporate technology into doing more with less and feed the world is right there for Canada to take. There's no better place to do it than on Prince Edward Island.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
Thank you, MP Morrissey.
For our witnesses, on behalf of the members, the clerk and the analysts, thank you for your testimony. I can't think of a better way to start our cross-country tour for our pre-budget consultation study and inform the 2024 budget as well. With all the testimony we've heard here, I think we're off to a really great start. Thank you very much.
That will conclude our meeting. We're adjourned.