Exactly. He wanted to send a message and he is sending a message. He is a little over halfway in his journey, a journey of some 3,000 kilometres. I know this because I have driven it, but I was not driving a combine. It took me about four days by car as compared to his four to six weeks to drive his combine down here.
Members would be amazed at the support this farmer has received during his travels. When I was talking to him via his cell phone the other day he told me that his journey is one of tears and fears. The fears of Canadian farm families are being expressed to him as he travels across western Canada; the fears that the industry is dying and the fears that there is no hope.
Can anyone imagine being a farmer in western Canada today? The reality is that the government has given them no hope for a future. This is being expressed to Nick Parsons every day as he continues his journey across western Canada. Every day individuals stop Nick's combine and hand him $20, $10 or whatever they can afford to assist him in his journey across western Canada while he tries to draw attention to the plight of the farm family and farms in Canada. He wants everyone to know that no matter how hard the farmers have struggled, they cannot make ends meet. No matter how efficient they have become over the last number of decades, the reality is that they cannot make ends meet because international subsidies have driven down the price of their product to the point where they cannot pay their bills. They are now on the verge of losing their farms and their homes.
I have to try to convey the tragedy that is occurring on farms across western Canada to the urban public who perhaps might be watching the proceedings today. What is happening is a national tragedy.
Farmers are looking to the government for something more than having money thrown at them, money that never reaches them. In the last year or so I have often made the comment that no matter how many announcements, how many photo opportunities the government has to announce the same money over and over again, all the money in the world sitting on the cabinet table does the farmer and his family absolutely no good until it is on their kitchen table.
Of the money that was announced, even before the most recent announcement yesterday, around 25% has actually reached farmers to help them. This is a tragedy.
It is unfortunate that my time is up because I could, on behalf of farmers all across Canada, go on speaking about this all day.