Mr. Speaker, on November 19 last, I asked the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food a question on the future of the dairy industry.
To give you the appropriate background, I would like to quote part of that question. It said:
Does the minister intend to vigorously defend the dairy producers of Quebec and Canada by taking a clear and firm stand in the face of American claims?
Please note the answer.
Mr. Speaker, yes I will confirm that we will defend the Canadian dairy industry vigorously.
Each time I ask that minister a question, he invariably says “I defend very strongly, I defend vigorously.”
How can he explain that processors, and especially Unilever, are importing butter oil, the mix containing 49% butter oil and 51% sugar, at a very low tariff?
For a minister who keeps saying that he is vigorously defending the dairy industry, this is really great. Dairy producers have lost this fiscal year $50 million, which represents about 3% of their quota. And since there are 25,000 dairy producers, this represents an average of $2,000 that every dairy farm is losing today because of the import of butter oil. “I defend vigorously”, he says. How can we believe a minister who is so vigorously failing to act?
The problem is caused by the fact that the product is not under the proper tariff item. From 1995 to 1997, there has been more than a four-fold increase in imports. At the rate that these imports are going, there is every reason to fear that dairy producers will find themselves in a dire financial straits. Not only does the minister have to work vigorously, he also has to work quickly, because this is urgent.
This butter oil mix was obviously invented to avoid tariff regulations. Unfortunately, Revenue Canada is slow in reacting, and our Minister of Agriculture is sleeping on the job. Meanwhile, it is the agricultural community that is paying not for the lack of courage of this government but for its failure to act, especially as far as the Minister of Agriculture is concerned.
I hope there will be appropriate foresight on the part of officials during the next WTO negotiations. Proper management means proper foresight, and the Liberal government is showing neither when it comes to agriculture.