Mr. Speaker, in commemoration of International Women's Week I would like to say a few words about the considerable contribution of Canadian women in the field of agriculture.
The shift in the role of rural women has been growing ever since grain and land prices collapsed in the early 1980s.
Between 1981 and 1986, while the total number of farm operators in Canada fell by 8 per cent, the number of female farm operators increased by 18 per cent.
Farm women are suddenly in startling numbers becoming co-managers with their husbands or becoming sole operators. They are proving to be very sharp in the business and marketing end of the industry, a crucial element of modern day agriculture.
I have co-managed our family farm with my husband and family for 25 years.
I would like to take this opportunity to salute the growing contributions of Canadian farm women who, in partnership or alone, have successfully adapted to the increasing complexities of the agriculture industry.