Mr. Speaker, tobacco farmers are in a catch-22 situation. The major tobacco companies are no longer buying Quebec tobacco, so the growers are forced to change crops.
These farmers need immediate assistance from the federal government. However, allocation of the aid package announced prior to the election, in the order of $70 million, is blocked because the stakeholders in Ontario cannot reach agreement. Nine months later, not one cent has been paid out. This is totally unacceptable. The financial crunch is likely to lead to farm land being abandoned.
The Office du tabac jaune du Québec has already made its expectations public and the Government of Quebec has already indicated what its assistance mechanisms will be. Our tobacco farmers are being held hostage by the problem in Ontario, and what is more the reality in Ontario is totally different from that of Quebec.
The federal government must respond to the needs of the Quebec tobacco growers now, without waiting for the Ontario problem to be solved. The situation is urgent. Tobacco farmers in Quebec need help immediately to convert to some other crop starting this spring.