Mr. Speaker, I listened attentively to the remarks of the member from the newly named riding of Hilstrom—Interlake. I am a member from downtown Toronto and not a rural member.
I am not fully aware of the complexities surrounding the issue of agriculture and agri-food, but earlier this week I had the privilege of speaking at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture summit. One fact that came out at that summit was the need to debate mobilization and getting more focused on the problems and challenges surrounding rural issues. We must start with a new beginning and engage a larger number of consumers and city residents.
Because the member for Selkirk—Interlake is very sensitive about government resources, I would like to ask him if he would support the notion of the Government of Canada and Agriculture Canada investing some dollars in mobilizing city residents to become more engaged and more involved in rural agricultural issues.
He seems to be very concerned about taxpayer money being spent on arts, culture, et cetera. I personally believe that a lot of money should be spent on mobilizing city representatives because we represent 80% of the votes in the House. Perhaps the member could speak on behalf of his party and indicate whether they would support such a campaign.