Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has failed to address the catastrophic problem with P.E.I. potato exports to the United States.
The government threw away the tools to work with when it instigated the ban on Brazilian beef based on vague Canadian scientific information. When the Americans then used the same argument for P.E.I. potatoes, Canadians were unable to credibly defend themselves because they had just used the same questionable reasons to ban Brazilian beef.
The Government of Canada should now move to actively and assertively deal with the serious problem which affects the economy of the entire province of Prince Edward Island.
Will the minister of agriculture provide interim bridge assistance for the P.E.I. farmers and will the Department of Foreign Affairs aggressively deal with this problem on behalf of these same farmers?