Mr. Speaker, this year has been a very difficult one for Canada's farmers. A crisis is unfolding in Canada's agriculture industry.
This industry, which is Canada's third largest employer, is suffering great losses and is facing financial ruin. Farmers in my constituency of Waterloo—Wellington have approached me about their great concern for this problem. Hog and grain producers across our country are facing horrible circumstances in relation to commodity prices. Financial forecasters are expecting conditions to get even worse.
These circumstances are beyond their control since many of the problems have their roots in Asia and elsewhere in the world.
Family farms are a very important resource in Canada. They are the cornerstones of our country and when they experience difficulty all Canadians are affected.
The national farm income crisis is a sad realty and one that needs to be dealt with and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is doing so. I wholeheartedly support the efforts of the government and the Minister of Agriculture and thank him on behalf of the residents of Waterloo—Wellington for his help on this very important issue.