Mr. Chair, it is a pleasure to join in this important debate tonight. I listened very carefully to my hon. colleague across the way and I certainly share his sentiment that what farmers do not need is to have a bunch of politicians looking back. We need to look forward and they are looking for some forward looking vision for the future. I think that is what the Prime Minister articulated tonight and my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture, certainly intends to work closely with farmers and the farming industry to develop a vision of a brighter future for our farmers and agricultural producers.
I speak with some authority because, like quite a number in the Conservative caucus, I come from a farm background. I farmed for 20 years and I say that quite proudly. My brother still farms the family farm in the Peace River country, some 3,000 acres of grains and oilseeds, so I know firsthand from my brother, cousin, uncle and many of my friends and supporters just how serious this income cash crisis is on the family farm.
I cannot speak too passionately about the crisis that is facing our family farm. In fact, I find it very difficult to speak on this topic without getting emotional, as do many of my colleagues. When I say colleagues, I do not mean just Conservative colleagues. I mean colleagues with a farm background from all of the parties. When one knows of the suffering on the family farm firsthand and one sees the little children who see mom and dad struggling to pay the bills, it brings it home in very clear terms how our farmers and our farm families are being affected.
At one time, when I was involved in farming and farm producers organizations, I was the president of the B.C. Grain Producers Association. One of the things I learned very early on was that what farmers did not need were assistance programs designed by bureaucrats for bureaucrats. What works really fine here in Ottawa in some ivory tower does not help the farmer at the farm gate, which is part of the problem. All politicians have heard that part of the problem has been the CAIS program. When I was involved, many farmers put a great deal of effort into designing a program called NISA, the net income stabilization account, which worked quite well but it was done away with.
Does my hon. colleague not see that part of the problem has been that too often governments of all types, certainly the past Liberal government I would suggest, and not trying to be too critical, but have listened to what the bureaucrats wanted and what they said was possible rather than listening to what the farmers really wanted and what they felt was the best program to deliver the best assistance to them in a timely fashion?