Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to address a very important issue. There is no doubt that there are hard feelings and a lot of passion for dairy farmers. It is a very difficult time, and that difficult time has not just been for the last days but for the last number of years. There have been certain activities, which we have heard a great deal about all day today, that have been causing a great deal of frustration.
I have had the opportunity to visit dairy farms in the past, and I believe in supply management. I believe in the quality of product that Canada's dairy farmers have produced for many years. I would ultimately argue it is some of the best, if not the best, product in the world. In good part, it is because of the whole supply management system, something which the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and other members have talked eloquently about, not only about how important it is to the Liberal Party but to the Government of Canada.
I am very much in tune with the threat to the industry, but it is important to recognize that the issue we are talking about today is before us because three or four years ago, the then Conservative government decided to stand by and ignore the law in essence. It allowed for this to take place. It has come to the point where there is a lot of stress and anxiety within the dairy industry, and it wants action to be taken.
Yes, Liberals were elected six months ago, and it took a month for the transition of power. Yes, we have been in government now for five months, and we have accomplished a great deal in that time. A month or so ago, someone in a restaurant said to me, “Kevin, the current Prime Minister has done more in three months for Canada than the previous prime minister did in 10 years.” We are moving forward on a multitude of fronts, and we recognize that this issue is very important. We truly care about the farming community, particularly the stress on dairy farmers.
As the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge pointed out, it is not as simple as saying that we should stop it right now, today. It just cannot be done. It has to work its way through. We understand that, and I believe the Conservatives understand that. I do not know about the understanding of the New Democrats. It can be very difficult to understand their thinking process at times. However, they were the official opposition when this issue first came up, and there was not a word. I did not hear the leader of the official opposition talk about it when he could have asked dozens of questions every day or used one of the numerous opposition days.
The dairy farmers came to Ottawa, asked the NDP caucus to get more engaged, and the New Democrats brought forward the motion. I applaud them for bringing forward the motion. Let us have a healthy debate today, but do not try to give the impression that New Democrats are the only ones who care about the dairy industry, because that is a false impression. I can say that Liberal members, the Liberal caucus, and this government cares about the dairy industry, and that is why we are working with the stakeholders to try to resolve the problem.
When the government and both opposition parties had the opportunity to listen to what the dairy farmers and the industry had to say the other day in committee, what did the opposition parties do? They filibustered and prevented the industry representatives from making presentations on that important industry.