Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased at some of the concluding remarks made by the member opposite. I was pleased to hear him acknowledge that there is a problem.
I would like to ask a question of the member opposite. It is a question people in my riding have been asking me. Why do the people in our cities not recognize the problem that exists in rural Canada? Let me explain and the member can have some time to formulate his answer.
Many of the people in Saskatchewan feel that little attention is paid to the farm crisis because they are only a small minority of Canadians and unless we can demonstrate somehow that this crisis on the farms impacts on the people in the cities, the government will do very little.
The question they want me to ask the government is: How can farmers get the message to all Canadians that our farmers are important to the country, that the problems they have are very severe and that something needs to be done?
Every time someone sits down to have a meal they thank God, but they should also thank a farmer. It affects everyone in their daily lives. How can we get the message to people in the cities to recognize this problem and assist us in the solution?