Mr. Speaker, as we embark on this new year and in this new Parliament, I am honoured to rise today on behalf of the wonderful citizens of Red Deer—Mountain View.
As a farmer, I always have weather top of mind, and this crop year has seen challenges that Albertans have not faced since the 1960s. Beyond the cold and unpredictable moisture that we always face, we are also dealing with other issues that governments can control. Our diminished competitiveness in world markets due to disjointed trade strategies, a carbon tax for agricultural producers where the cost cannot be passed on to consumers, and a non-existent strategy to ensure that our environmentally conscious farmers have the tools necessary to feed humanity lie at the feet of the government.
Our agricultural producers need resolutions to non-tariff trade barriers, an energy exemption for drying grain, and acknowledgement of and respect for their environmental stewardship to the rest of the world.