Madam Chair, thank you for the third time today.
I'd like to welcome all the witnesses and thank them for being here with us today.
I'll start with you, gentlemen from the Union des producteurs agricoles. Welcome.
Mr. Ross, in your brief, you reiterated the importance of adequately funding research and innovation related to agricultural practices. You can see where I'm going with this. As a result of the cuts imposed by the Carney government, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has just closed its research and development centre in Quebec City, in Minister Lightbound's riding, after 58 years of operation.
What will be the real consequences of these decisions, and why is it essential to preserve our agronomic expertise?