Madam Chair, I know we must not comment on the presence or absence of members of this House, but I am pleased that the parliamentary secretary to the minister and the minister himself have heard my speech.
What I said is a reflection of what I have heard from the agricultural and dairy producers in my region. The parliamentary secretary has just said that we must not be too hasty, that care must be taken with article XXVIII and we must be careful not to do just anything. I can understand that certain strategies need to be adopted. Can he nevertheless understand on his side that the agricultural producers who come under the supply management system have been begging for help for ages? He is well placed to realize that all manner of awful problems have been cropping up. Agriculture is in crisis at this time.
What we are asking this government to do is to use a protective measure that all countries can use. Article XXVIII can be used right now to face up to the WTO. That is what the agricultural producers are calling for. I do not see why we need to wait. These people are begging for help. Action must be taken now.
The parliamentary secretary has said that the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said he did not exclude the possibility of recourse to XXVIII. As far as I am concerned, things are not going either far enough or fast enough.
Returning to the article I have been holding in my hand from the start, from the June 2, 2005 La Terre de chez nous , which bears the title “Milk ingredient imports—Canada will not invoke article XXVIII”, that is the crux of the matter. What we are asking the minister is to invoke article XXVIII, it is as simple as that.
In an independent Quebec, the supply management system would be far better defended than at present. In Quebec we hold it dear to our hearts. Such is not the case for the Liberal government. We have proof of that in the examples it gives us. People are still on a tightrope; the supply management system is still fragile.