Mr. Speaker, agriculture in our country continues to suffer due to lack of action on the part of the Liberal government. According to Stats Canada the agricultural industry saw the largest job loss in the goods producing sector. An astonishing 39,000 jobs have been lost.
This is simply not a number. These are 39,000 people who are now struggling to pay their bills and feed their families. These are 39,000 people whose way of life have changed forever.
The minister of agriculture tells us that current safety net programs are enough. Obviously these programs are ineffective and insufficient. Would 39,000 jobs have been lost if these programs actually worked?
The agricultural community is not looking for handouts. It is in dire need of programs that work, programs that would enable them to compete in the global market, programs that support families when disasters happen and programs that will get them back to work. Something must be done.