I really appreciate that question. This was one of the reasons we moved forward with the bill. I am the member of Parliament for Cambridge. I'm seen by many as an urban member of Parliament, but in reality, if you look at my riding map, 70% of my riding is actually rural.
This is a really big issue with the farmers in my community and across Canada. We've heard from many of them who, as time has gone by and they've replaced certain pieces of equipment, it's been replaced with equipment that has these digital components in it. As a result, they can't so much as replace a tire on a combine because a sensor in that tire is connected to the motherboard, which is connected to the GPS that identifies that there's a problem with that tire.
I'm one generation away from being born on a farm. I can tell you that the culture is to fix your own stuff. It's not just a point of pride for the agricultural sector; it's a necessity. A lot of people are in rural communities not like Cambridge, which is close enough to urban centres that they can maybe drive or get a technician come out to the farm easily. A lot of our farmers across Canada don't have access to technicians to come out. They need to be able to fix their own stuff.
I've read stories, seen articles and talked to farmers about having to put tractors on trains to send them away to be repaired. That is not only incredibly expensive for farmers, but it is debilitating for our ability to produce the food we need for this country.
I know there was a push in the United States specifically toward John Deere to identify and provide a way around these TPMs for farmers. They put on a push with the lobby effort against the legislation and agreed to a voluntary measure. That measure was supposed to be provided by John Deere in January 2021. We have yet to see that measure in place.
Voluntary agreements are great if they are done. Historically, that has not been the case in this industry. I think that as we move forward, everything from combines to simple tractors and other devices are all connected in some way, shape or form to these technological protection measures. There is nothing about copyright that would be infringed by a farmer being able to replace a tire on a combine.