Yes, I could be accused of child abuse. That is true. In some ways it is not all good news.
Nonetheless, the people of Yellowhead are very concerned about this issue. Not only are they dealing with the BSE crisis, but people in my riding just came through two years of severe drought and a severe grasshopper problem which has put them on their knees. The BSE situation is not the straw that broke the camel's back. It is the absolute life-support cases. My office my staff tell me that they are fielding calls quite often from people considering extreme situations, as much as to say that they are looking at possible suicide. When we start receiving those calls, it is very serious.
We can say that this is a Canadian-U.S. problem. I think that was described very clearly by our leader this evening, and that is absolutely true. We can say that is a solution at which we could work. As far as opening the border, we cannot control what the United States does. We certainly can control how we react to this situation in Canada and how we support the industry or not support the industry. That is exactly what we need to do.
When we talk about the United States and our relationship, I was with an interparliamentary group this spring. We went to the United States to talk to a number of the congressmen. Most of them thought the border was open. They had absolutely no idea of the intensity of the problem in Canada, nor the impact it was having. They were looking at what was happening under their own noses.
When we have a ruined relationship with our largest trading partner, it will cause absolute havoc, not only with BSE in the cattle industry, but in many of the other industries. Of our export trade, 85% to 87% is with the United States. We had better start nurturing that relationship and we had better start doing it quickly. I share that with the members in the debate because it is paramount.
The government thought the Americans would open the border by the end of the summer. Government members crossed their fingers hoping that would happen. The program is more than a year late. It is about a year and a half since the time the first cow came down with BSE in Canada. Since that time, the impact on our industry has been absolutely devastating and it has been described in many ways.
In the little time I have left I want to talk specifically about the program that was announced on September 10 and how it has miscued. First, I have to address the problem of the other ruminants that have been impacted just as severely as the beef industry, namely elk, deer, bison, sheep, goat and lama. These individual producers, through no fault of their own, have been impacted by BSE. It is not about science; it is about politics. It is the worst kind of politics that has influenced and impacted these agricultural communities. We have to support them.
We were looking for some sort of indication in the throne speech for support for the agriculture industry. We did not get that. It is unfortunate because the agriculture industry is certainly looking for it. It needs it now. The industry is questioning whether the government is playing politics not only with the United States, but with the lives of farmers and those of their families. I saw that happen with the government over this last summer, and it has to stop.
I was on the phone just a few hours ago with the ministry of agriculture in Alberta. I asked about the program and about the intense conversations with the federal government. The inflexibility with the dates has to stop. The minister said that he will have a program that will be flexible. He had better back that up. The flexibility has to be there and we have to understand the difference.
Alberta represents 45% of the beef industry in the country. It needs the ability to be flexible and it needs to understand that it is part of this program as well. It needs to be respected to that degree.
When the set aside program was first announced it was going to be 40% but now it is being talked about backing that off to 28%. I would like the minister to comment on that. I would also like to know whether he will allow October 1 to be the start date of this program.
We also have to understand that just because the set aside program is there, these individuals will get $200 as long as the animal does not go to slaughter. They have to be able to sell that animal and not be restricted to the point where it depreciates to a value that is not any good.
I could go on but I know my time is up. There are lots of things I could say about this program not meeting the needs of farmers and they have to be addressed by the government.