Dick Proctor

[Agriculture, February 9th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, still on the subject of agriculture, provincial agriculture ministers are meeting today in Regina. For the first time ever they have chosen to meet alone and not extend an invitation to the federal minister.

With agenda items including the crying need for additional federal assistance and even questioning the role of the federal government in agriculture, it is obvious that provincial ministers decided to exclude Ottawa because of the enormous frustration they feel.

Could the minister inform the House when he will be announcing a long term safety net package that will finally provide some solid assistance to farm families right across Canada?

[Agriculture, January 31st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, farmers are again demonstrating on Parliament Hill because they are being forced into bankruptcy. New parliament, same problem.

According to figures released yesterday by the government, the average return last year for a Saskatchewan agricultural producer was $14 a day. There is no support for farmers, which would be entirely legal under the WTO, but billions in highly questionable loan guarantees are instantly available to Bombardier.

Spring seeding is just months away. When can Canadian farmers expect to hear of some meaningful assistance for them from the government?

[Agriculture, October 6th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are being told by the government that the coming election will be about values. I cannot imagine fundamental values that Canadians hold more dearly and believe in more strongly than fairness and equality. Too often what the government has done to a growing number of Canadian farm families who desperately need a helping hand has been to give them the back of its hand.

The government has large and growing surpluses. Why does it persist in refusing to share some of that with our farm families?

[Agriculture, October 6th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, as all of us know, this weekend is a time when Canadians count their blessings and give thanks for a bountiful harvest and a full larder. However, once again few of our farm families who produce that bountiful harvest are celebrating because farm federal safety nets are simply too restrictive and too skimpy to allow them any meaningful return.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture says that $2 billion would go a long way toward levelling the playing field with our major competitors.

My question is for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. With large and growing surpluses, why will the government not commit $2 billion to help resolve this crisis?

[Roy Romanow, September 25th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the dean of Canadian premiers has just announced he will be stepping down. Throughout a lifetime in politics, Saskatchewan's Roy Romanow has always demonstrated personal integrity, dedication to duty, and that there is nothing more noble than public service.

He joined the NDP during the 1962 strike by doctors over medicare. During 11 years Mr. Romanow was Saskatchewan's deputy premier on tumultuous issues including repatriation of the Canadian constitution and provincial control over natural resources.

In 1987 he was acclaimed leader of the Saskatchewan NDP and elected premier four years later. Although his government inherited the largest debt deficit per capita that any provincial government ever faced, within four years his cabinet and the hard working people of the province had cleaned up the mess and Saskatchewan was able to introduce new progressive social programs dealing with child poverty in particular.

Premier Roy Romanow remains a great New Democrat and a great Canadian.

[Agriculture, September 21st, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, some quibble, 22 cents versus $5.92. He is still on numbers that do not add up.

The minister indicated recently that to put us on parity with U.S. support payments would require some $18 billion to $20 billion. Farm groups are saying that they do not need that much of a commitment. In fact, $4 billion has been suggested by at least one major organization.

Would the minister tell the House how he arrived at this large figure because it is much higher than what he had said in the past? I hope by inflating this number it is not an excuse to ignore the plight of Canadian farmers in a desperate situation.

[Agriculture, September 21st, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, last spring the minister of agriculture guaranteed that all western grain and oilseed farmers would enjoy a $5.92 reduction in their freight rate bill this year but that is not what farmers are telling us. They are saying that they are getting nowhere near that kind of savings. Some are getting as little as 22 cents, some zero and, in a few cases, because of a lack of real competition amongst the railways, they are actually paying higher costs than they were absorbing last year.

Having guaranteed $5.92 this past May, will the government be making up any shortfall to the farmers who fall far short of this $5.92?

[Supply, September 21st, 2000]

Madam Speaker, this is an extremely important question since the world supply of fossil fuel is finite. There are varying debates as to how many years it will last but we simply have to get on top of this issue in terms of new products like ethanol and other products. There has to be more use of battery operated vehicles. Perhaps we need to encourage that direction by looking at additional costs for the price of the fancy, gas guzzling SUVs, which some people prefer to purchase, that clog the highways and do nothing for the greenhouse gas emissions that Canadians are facing.

There is a range of answers that are available but what we need is a government that has the will to do the job.

[Supply, September 21st, 2000]

Oh, of the product. The former leader of the Reform Party, when he was speaking earlier, said that it accounted for 40%, give or take 10%.

The answer to the question on the two price system is, no, simply because under the North American Free Trade Agreement, as the member should know, it would be specifically prohibited to have a two price system for oil, natural gas or any farm commodity.

[Supply, September 21st, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that he said the taxes were approximately 50% of the total price at the pumps.