Mr. Speaker, farmers are sick and tired of the government's weak leadership when it comes to the Canada-China canola crisis. Forty-three thousand farmers across Canada seed 12.3 million acres of canola each year, which has a $26.7-million economic impact, and the canola industry employs 250,000 Canadians. When it comes to food safety, Canada has the best quality control system in the world, with CFIA monitoring as well as a strong regulatory process. We know that the allegations from China against Canada's canola are both false and baseless.
After holding canola all winter, farmers' bins are full. They must sell the canola to free up bin space, yet because of this crisis, the price per bushel is falling drastically, causing thousands of dollars in losses and uncertainty about which crop to seed.
Our farmers deserve action, and above all, strong leadership from their government. The Liberals' dithering and lack of leadership has consequences. If they refuse to step up, then as a government, they should step down.