Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to speak to the amendments to Bill C-26. I thank the member for Prince George—Peace River and the members of the agriculture committee from the Conservative Party for working on the amendments and coming up with a very good list of improvements to the bill. It is a pleasure to rise to support the amendments that the Conservative Party has put forward today.
The idea that farmers and producers need government involvement in regulations to implement an insurance plan is wrong. These producers are running huge operations and are very capable of making proper management decisions to maximize the return on their investment.
Right now across the prairies it is springtime and choices are being made as to what crop to seed, how to prepare the seed bed, when to do that, and everything that goes along with those decisions: fertilizer, spray or whatever. They are made by the farmer because the farmer makes those decisions in his own best interest.
The idea that government has come forward with this licensing program to have a negative option billing system is wrong. We saw it last year or the year before when cable companies were trying to use that method. It is just not right, the fact we have to tell somebody we do not want that and unless we say no we will get it.
What is that? That is not the way the country should be run. If farmers want to be involved in an insurance plan they will indicate that they want to be involved. They will let the minister know up front and they are involved. This way they have to let the minister know they do not want to be part of the plan. The levy is still taken from them and then they have to apply to get it back. That just creates another set of books to be kept by farmers.
All we are hearing is that producers want government out of their lives. They want to be able to make their own decisions, run their own operations and do what they know is best for them. They do not need to keep another set of books. They do not need to pay their accountants another $50 or $100 to figure this one out. If they could let it be known up front that they do not want to be involved, it could be a voluntary process. It would go a long way toward improving what the bill is trying to do.
We are speaking in support of the amendments in Group No. 2 put forward by the Conservative Party. They were also raised and discussed in committee. They are good amendments. They are good quality suggestions on how to improve a bill and make it more friendly for western producers.
However they were defeated by Liberal committee members. They have come back in this form and there is a chance to debate them in the House. They were debated at committee. Witnesses came before committee to suggest some things and now we have the ability to discuss them here, to have another airing of them. I hope government members will see the light and find their way clear to support some of them.
There is this idea of government being involved in everything we do in our lives. What is government's role in the lives of farmers and Canadians in general? How much should it be involved? We are being overregulated, overgoverned and overtaxed. We need the government to establish an atmosphere in which we can thrive. That is all we ask. We ask to be left alone in whatever endeavours we choose. That is certainly true for the agricultural community. Some people in the agricultural community are far better qualified to have more input into how things can be developed in Canada than any government member.
We debated the Canadian Wheat Board Act about a month ago. Government members all voted for that bill with its amendments. Yet only 14 of them had a direct relationship to the western grain producer. That shows how these things can be taken away from the people who have most to do with them.
We should create an atmosphere within the agricultural community for entrepreneurs to come forward, to develop their own skills, and to have voluntary means for becoming involved in different programs. They are asking for the option to run their own lives. They want the government out of their lives. They fill out enough forms. The government knows enough about their operations already. It does not need to be involved any more.
I offer my support to these amendments. I hope the entire House will see the merit of them.