Mr. Speaker, one in five grain and oilseed producers in Essex are facing spring foreclosure. Income projections for 2005 are bleak. Family farms in Essex expect to lose $26 million.
These losses are the direct result of trade injury from U.S. subsidies, something over which our producers have no control, yet the 2005 Liberal budget wilfully ignores their plight.
Last week Liberals voted against the Conservative motion to drop the CAIS cash deposit. Now they want to drop it--eventually. For the sake of farmers, I say get rid of it now and honour CAIS payment commitments to producers not later but now.
To get farmers through the spring the government must also fund a per acre, per commodity lump sum directly to producers.
Last, the government must refine CAIS for sectors where it works but design a market revenue style support program to backstop grain and oilseed producers against trade injury, one that will end when this government finally gets foreign subsidies to end. The government owes it to family farmers.