Madam Chair, the fact of the matter is that program payments under the government are much less. They were $4.9 billion in 2005, and substantially less than that in the last budget.
Would the minister look at his figures, be honest with us and tell us what the total program payments for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada were in the current year and what is proposed for next year?
The government goes on with the line, all the time, that it is there for farmers. It is not there for farmers. It has been paying out less money, there are fewer program dollars, and all it has been successful at doing is putting farmers into debt.