Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our guests.
I just want to say that it was great to see the minister here once again. In his comments, he said there are sanctions that are working and hopefully crippling Russia a bit, and I think that's good news, but the collateral damage also is that some of those are crippling some people here in Canada as well. Before I preface my question, I just want to be clear that each and every one who has reached out to my office, whether it's an agribusiness or a farmer, is supportive of the sanctions, but there are deep concerns.
My riding is in Simcoe—Grey, which happens to be a huge agricultural base. As you know, spring is here and farmers are getting ready to get the crops in the ground. Part of that involves getting fertilizer in the ground as well. As I'm sure most of you are aware, Russia supplies much of the world's monoammonium phosphate, MAP, fertilizer, which is critical for Canada's food production. Right now Canada does not produce any.
I've been contacted by several people in my riding, both end-users and agribusinesses, who are concerned about the impact of the restrictions or the ban on Russian manufacturers, especially when it comes to these fertilizers. Simply put, if we do not get fertilizer in the ground soon, the fall crop yields across Canada will be much reduced. Getting fertilizer is a long process, with quantities ordered long before Russia invaded Ukraine. Often these are paid for long in advance. The contracts are signed and subject to large cancellation fees.
Alliance Agri-Turf, who happens to be in my riding and is actually a large company across Canada, is an important supplier of fertilizer for central Ontario. They've contacted me with concerns over the shipment of these MAP fertilizers coming into Canada. The shipment was originally due on March 15, but Transport Canada told them that the shipment would not be allowed into Canada. It's been pushed back to this weekend to hopefully sort the situation out.
I'm wondering if anyone here can perhaps provide us with an update on the issue of fertilizer. As we know, there's not a lot everywhere else. I want to know if anyone on panel can perhaps give us some guidance.