Mr. Speaker, through you, I will speak directly to my relatives and friends in the Wynyard area of Saskatchewan.
There are a lot of beef producers in that area and we have just heard the official NDP policy that it wants to start a major trade battle with the United States and totally prohibit the importation of beef from the United States. The NDP would have Saskatchewan as part of the supply of beef down to Ontario, Quebec and the maritimes.
I would like to inform the member from Saskatchewan that the Saskatchewan beef industry would shrink to zero and the Saskatchewan beef farmer would starve to death under that type of policy. Why do I say that? It is for the simple reason that Ontario, Quebec and the maritimes are quite capable of supplying their own total domestic supply of beef. They do not need any beef from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta or B.C.
I want to point out very clearly that the NDP is very wrong in saying that it would close off the border to U.S. beef and that somehow that would help the farmers of Saskatchewan. I would ask the member to comment on that.