Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his remarks. He works hard on the agriculture committee and he put out a statistic which I think really shows the value of the agricultural industry and the value of some of the Canadian programs that are in place.
He mentioned dairy. For every dollar of produce, I believe he said, there is a $26 spinoff into the economy. That shows what some of the national marketing systems that we have in place can do. Not only do they create income for primary producers, but they create economic growth for the country as a whole. As a result, the farming industry is indeed to a great extent the economic backbone of the country, creating one job in eight, and the list goes on.
I want to congratulate the member on his remarks and for pointing out some of those facts, because these are the facts that the general consumer population needs to realize. It is important for the Government of Canada and for Canadians to be there for the agricultural industry in its time of need.