Madam Speaker, I would like to confine my discussion tonight to the question that was asked on October 19. I know a lot of things have happened since then to which the member for Palliser has alluded.
We are also concerned. I know he is very concerned about farmers in his home province of Saskatchewan. That concern is shared by the government. The government understands that we need a national approach. We are looking to all shareholders to work together to decide on the best course of action.
The Government of Canada and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food want to work in partnership with all provincial governments to address the income situation facing farmers in Canada.
The minister of agriculture continues to work with concerned farmer organizations and is listening to their advice on program design issues for existing programs as well as for the long term direction of safety nets.
The government has programs in place that have helped and continue to help farmers across Canada and particularly those on the prairies. The NISA and AIDA programs put money in the hands of farmers who are in need. For example, in Saskatchewan 55,900 producers have about $1.1 billion in their NISA accounts. To date, over 12,300 producers in Saskatchewan have withdrawn $113 million from NISA this year. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada estimates that AIDA will provide approximately $170 million in Saskatchewan for the first year of the program. Across Canada we have been providing this kind of support.
Members can see that when the NISA withdrawals are combined with the AIDA payments, the government is helping farmers through these difficult times.