Mr. Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. Indeed, the situation is just as dramatic for us; he has described it well.
There is one point that requires more emphasis, and that is that the agricultural producer is not at all responsible for this crisis and is the only one who loses, who suffers the consequences. The producer is not responsible because it was bad management or simply a natural disaster—we could call it that—as if there were a flood, or an illness like SARS, or a forest fire. It is a tragedy that has occurred.That is why the government has a duty and an obligation to provide assistance.
The hon. member spoke about families, and that is true. Agricultural producers, particularly dairy farmers—and I believe there are many in the hon. member's part of New Brunswick—had a tradition. In the fall, they would sell their culled cattle and that provided the income for family life. It was spent on the children's education, and for living in general. It provided about 75% of their income. The money they needed to live on came from the sale of culled cows. Now they no longer have this income.
The cull they sold for $1,000 would sell for $100 today; and they are lucky to get $100. The prices are as low as $60 or $70. Therefore, they no longer have this income. But what shocks them even more—and it shocks me, too, as their member of Parliament—is that while the price of a cow has fallen to $100, the steak on the butcher's block has stayed the same price. Something is not right with these prices.
In Quebec, a commission of inquiry was set up; it concluded that all was well and that everything was just as it should be. I was very surprised that the Charest government arrived at that conclusion. It is just not logical that beef animals sell for one tenth the price, while at the other end of the food chain, the consumer is paying the same price as before. Someone in the middle must be getting fat.
Perhaps the government ought to step in and conduct a serious investigation to make sure that no one exploits the agricultural producers during this crisis.
Nevertheless, the real solution is for the government to put the money on the table right away, because it is a national crisis and not the fault of the farmers. The farmers are victims and the government has a duty to help them.