moved for leave to introduce Bill C-327, an act to amend the Farm Income Protection Act (crop damage by gophers).
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce this bill regarding an issue which costs western farmers millions of dollars a year. The bill requires the federal government to compensate farmers where they have losses to crops due to harm done by such rodents as gophers because the poison which they normally use to control these pests has been removed for reasons such as environmental protection and so on. Gopher damage costs western farmers millions of dollars a year. It is a serious issue.
I look forward to having the bill drawn and for this protection to be given to farmers. They have had their tools removed from them which has caused this damage and this clearly should not have been done.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)