Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Mégantic-Compton-Stanstead.
What he said is true. Quebec farmers will likely have a greater share of the province's revenues, money that was not available to them before because it was distributed elsewhere. But once
Quebec becomes sovereign, farmers will have the chance to receive more money from the government.
We must also recognize the strength of the UPA and of Quebec farmers. Our province is certainly the best organized province in the agricultural industry in Canada. It is in excellent shape. It is well structured. Farmers have a good knowledge of their trade which will allow them to take advantage of new markets, particularly of the new American market that is opening up. If I am not mistaken, under the new agreements, we will have access to 5 per cent of the American market. Therefore, Quebec farmers are in a good position to take advantage of Quebec's sovereignty.
I would like to come back to the issue of milk quotas. Dairy producers must understand that Quebec will not become independent overnight after a victory in the referendum. There has to be a period of negotiations. The current agreements, such as the GATT and NAFTA, will stay in place. There will be negotiations between Canada and Quebec and they will not necessarily be conducted sector by sector, farmers with farmers, bankers with bankers. These will be comprehensive negotiations between Quebec and Canada. A framework will have to be established, and when the parties are able to look at the situation rationally, without letting their emotions interfere, the rest of Canada will understand that, in the agricultural industry, Canadian producers will have to maintain a good relationship with Quebec producers in all sectors in order to protect themselves against unfair competition from Americans.