Mr. Speaker, I appreciate what the hon. member said, when he explained some of the problems of the farmers in his riding which is in such a beautiful part of the country.
I have a question for the hon. member opposite. If we forget the partisan comments which are of course part of the parliamentary routine, and part of our job, I think he must admit that for the past 20 or 30 years, Canadian agriculture has enjoyed unprecedented growth.
I am sure he also realizes that for instance in Quebec and Ontario, in my own riding, which is right on the border with Quebec, we see outstanding farm operations which exist thanks to the system introduced by Mr. Whelan, the former boss of his colleague from Québec-Est, other Liberal agriculture ministers and, of course, by ministers of other political formations as well.
Does the hon. member acknowledge the tremendous progress which has been made in the agricultural industry, in terms of the use of technology on the farm, the standard of living of our farmers, and especially in supply managed sectors and other sectors? And will he at least, with his usual eloquence, acknowledge the excellent job done by the former boss of the hon. member for Québec-Est?