Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food for being here during the debate. I have a couple of comments and a question for the minister.
The minister has indicated that the responsibility is a shared federal-provincial responsibility. We all accept that. The norm now is a 60:40 split. Could that not be adjusted? Is there any reason this could not be an 80:20 split as opposed to a 60:40 split?
The reason I ask that is because in the United States it is a federal responsibility. The U.S., between 1998 and 2000, has put $48 billion of federal money into the pockets of farmers. Our government seems to always say that the provinces are not coming to the table equally and as quickly as what the feds are. Why could that split of 60:40 not be changed?
The minister has said that since 1995 there has never been more money in agriculture. The government took power in 1993. Prior to 1993, $4.3 billion went to agriculture. Today it is $1.6 billion. Forgetting about all the rationales, reasonings, budget deficits and the rest, the fact of the matter is that there were $4.3 billion and it is now down to $1.6 billion.
With the amount of surpluses that are available, does the minister not see that more of those dollars should go back into agriculture?