Madam Speaker, my question for the minister is a very simple one. He speaks of the nine million Canadians who live in rural Canada. I think he has tried very gallantly to revise the biggest single omission in the throne speech and that is the fact that there was no mention of agriculture.
I represent the riding of Kings—Hants which has 50% of the agriculture output for the province of Nova Scotia. The fact is that many of the farm aid programs currently do not meet the needs of farmers either in my riding or in western Canada. The AIDA and NISA programs simply do not meet their needs. Some of those programs are based on 70% of the last three years' earnings. In my riding the last three years have been disastrous due to the drought. Of course, 70% of nothing is nothing. For farmers who are facing this crisis and bankruptcy there was absolutely nothing in the throne speech.
The minister speaks about rural issues. One of the most pivotal and important issues for rural Canadians is agriculture and food output. The throne speech did not address that.
The minister did not speak of the seasonal workers in Atlantic Canada and my riding. Seasonal workers have been devastated by the EI reforms and the cuts by the Liberal government. Many seasonal workers who did work periodically and who did contribute and participate in the economy are now forced on provincial social assistance. They have gone from working seasonally to not working at all. That is a significant concern.
The minister did not speak of the concentration in the food distribution business which increasingly is forcing producers to effectively deal with one or two major purchasers. It is denying the producers any ability to control price or have any control over their own business affairs. The minister does not address that.
The minister spoke at length about e-commerce, the growth in the high tech sector and the importance of connectedness in terms of technology in rural communities. I share with him in his optimism that in the long term these may play a role.
However, does he really believe that the government's focus on e-commerce and on Internet connectedness for rural communities is going to help? Does he really believe in the short term that a 50 year old farmer who is facing bankruptcy is going to be turned into a computer programmer or a high tech worker and suddenly will be transported back from the edge of the abyss of poverty, despair and into some new e-world of prosperity and future potential?
I believe he is being very naive and that the government is being very cold-hearted in turning its back on rural Canada and particularly on the agricultural sector, both in the west, in Ontario and in the east.