Mr. Speaker, I come from a riding where we not only have a lot of beef cattle, but we also have a lot of dairy cattle. Probably more than 50% of the dairy cattle in Manitoba comes from my riding. My colleague from the Bloc has mentioned significant issues with dairy.
However. when we look at this issue, it is an issue of relationships. It is a relationship that has had an opportunity to be mended. Yet we have not seen that decisive action by the government.
I know the particular crisis that occurred a few days ago in barring live cattle, which could have started flowing March 7, was as a direct result of a court injunction. However, what we also know is the senate in the United States voted against opening the border. It is not simply enough to say that this was in the hands of the courts and it was an independent organization. What the senate vote reflects is a failure by this government to actively and consistently lobby the U.S. senate and Congress to ensure the votes were there and that they understood Canadian beef was safe.
Does the member have anything to say about what else the Canadian government could be doing in getting those relationships working with the United States? We may be a sovereign nation, but we are not an island, and our trade depends on a good relationship with the United States.