Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his question and comments regarding the agriculture industry and in particular how it is affecting our ridings. I can tell him that we had extensive prebudget consultations with many of the farmers in our communities, including pork and hog producers, grain and oilseed farmers, the tobacco producers and dairy farmers. I can assure him that we have listened and responded.
To correct the record, our offer to the tobacco producers stands. It is being worked on right now between the tobacco producers of Ontario and the Government of Canada. I can also tell him that what is lacking is the provincial government's participation in a buyout program to take the quota to $1.74, which is being requested.
On that specific file, there is much happening. The revenue provided by our government to the tobacco farmers will be delivered in our jurisdictions. We listened to the pork and hog producers. We have extended the amount of time they have to pay back the loans they took out, which were of a one-year duration. They have now been moved to two- and three-year durations to give them time to work things out in their industry during these tough economic times.