Mr. Speaker, three years ago, the Minister of Finance cut the subsidy to Canadian dairy farmers by $5.12 per hectolitre to zero over five years. Cuts have been made for two years now.
This year, his fifth report to the House of Commons as Finance Minister says nothing about agriculture. Since he will, we believe, generate between $8 and $12 billion in the 1998-99 budget, he could perhaps have eased off a bit on the dairy farmers because it is a known fact that cheese has gone up by 40 cents a kilo since he became Minister of Finance.
I would like to ask my distinguished colleague from Lotbinière whether he does not think this would be a good thing for the numerous dairy farmers in his riding, since it would increase the consumption of industrial milk products.