Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Charlebois, I thank you very much for all the work you do. You always present an accurate and clear picture of the situation in the agri-food sector through the media, and you are proving that again today before the committee. I take my hat off to you and I thank you for giving us a picture of the seriousness of the current situation.
I'll ask you my three questions in rapid succession.
To what extent are last year's droughts affecting inflation in the food sector this year?
To what extent can we increase our agricultural capacity or cropland acreage across Canada this summer? As a corollary, to what extent can we put in place, in the short term, the solutions you have suggested for the food processing sector?
Finally, how might the recent flooding in Manitoba affect inflation in the food sector?