Francis Drouin

[Taxation, October 3rd, 2022]

Madam Speaker, there are various ways we can support the wine industry. As I outlined in my speech, we provided $160 million, but we are always open to new ideas. I know my hon. colleague is going to be waiting for the government response on the bill he just mentioned.

[Taxation, October 3rd, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound for his focus on Canada's world-class wine industry. From British Columbia to Ontario to Atlantic Canada, hundreds of wineries and cideries continue to drive our economy, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and providing billions of dollars in economic benefit.

Wine country tourism attracts more than four million tourists a year and contributes over $1.5 billion to the economy. Over the past five years alone, employment in the industry has grown by 70%, to about 8,500 jobs. Wine sales have almost doubled, to over $2 billion, and sales of Canadian alcoholic ciders have increased over 80%, to more than $240 million.

We have worked hand in hand with the industry to create a program that would help it remain competitive. In June, our Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced a two-year program of up to $160 million. It is a wine sector support program. The program is now up and running and is providing wineries with the tools they need to stay innovative and competitive and to capitalize on new opportunities.

All licensed wineries in Canada that produce or contract out the production of bulk wine from primary agricultural products, such as grapes, berries, other fruits, dandelions, rice and sap, are eligible for support under the program. For example, a grape winery that produced 100,000 litres of wine in the past year may be eligible to receive about $80,000 through the program.

Canada's wine industry is robust and largely rural-based. The industry faces various challenges impacting its competitiveness, such as climate change, geography and labour costs. Support from this new program will enable the wine industry's businesses to become more resilient and will provide economic stability within the industry.

The program is intended to support Canadian wineries as they adapt to ongoing and emerging challenges over the short term. The bottom line is that we stand firmly in favour of supporting this industry in its growth, economic development and ability to export. To quote Kelly Brown, chair of Wine Growers Canada, “Thanks to the leadership of the Government of Canada, Canada's wine industry is ready to grow back better.”

I want to thank the four wineries back home that make great wine. I am sure my hon. colleague and I could compete over who has the best wine.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, September 27th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, the member is so passionate about agriculture, and that is the one thing we share, whether from eastern Ontario or from Saskatchewan. We have had the opportunity to sit together on the ag committee, and while we are trading barbs, we are still friends outside of the House.

I can assure the member that for the 30% emissions reduction, we will achieve that by providing incentives and not by regulation. There will be no bans on fertilizer of any sort, it is just a matter of providing incentives, and farmers have done an amazing job.

Some farmers have adopted 4R, and we have provided some funding to the Canola Council of Canada so that it can increase the uptake on the 4R program with canola farmers out west. I think that is great news for agriculture, and I am sure that the hon. member will welcome the $500 million more of investments in agriculture that we announced this year, and that we announced in partnership with Saskatchewan.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, September 27th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I would like to remind the member for Regina—Lewvan that this government has been making significant investments in Canadian agriculture. I am glad that he has been asking many questions, but I am going to stick to agriculture, as that is my passion and my job in the House.

I would remind the hon. member as well of the way our government has been supporting agriculture. Our total budget for 2021-22 was just shy of $4 billion, the highest in recent years. I would also remind him that there was $400 million cut when the Conservatives' hero, Mr. Harper, was in government. We have put back $500 million, and I am glad that the Province of Saskatchewan signed on this July for the federal-provincial-territorial meeting, which created a new program. This includes historic investments in innovation, business risk management, market development and compensating our producers and processors under supply management.

We fully recognize that the price of inputs increased due to a number of factors, including COVID and supply-chain disruptions, which is why we have taken concrete actions to help producers facing this challenge. We increased interest-free loans to provide them with the necessary cash flow to access key inputs, such as fertilizer. We increased the interest-free portion of the advance payments program from $100,000 to $250,000 to help producers cover the cost of inputs, including fertilizer, which is an average savings of $7,700 per producer and a total savings of $69 million over two years for the approximately 11,000 producers who take advantage of advances above $100,000. Canadian producers have access to business risk management programs, and we continue to make them more bankable for them.

In July, federal, provincial and territorial ministers agreed to increase the compensation rate under AgriStability to 80%, and I think that is good news for Saskatchewan. It would be up to an additional $72 million per year to better support our farmers in times of need. This builds on our removal last year of the reference margin limit, which could increase the overall amount that the program pays out to Canadian farmers by another $95 million a year.

We worked hard to ensure that Canadian producers have the support they need to succeed in the 2022 growing season, and producers have responded. As the harvest nears completion, Statistics Canada is projecting significant increases in production this year compared to last year, with over 55% for wheat and almost 40% for canola.

Let me remind the House that climate change is real. Last year, western farmers lost 38.5% of their crops. On this side of the House, we needed to act as this supports agriculture across Canada, and we are closely monitoring the situation with regard to the sourcing of the fertilizer needed for 2023.

[Taxation, September 27th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, on-farm fuel for farmers is exempt. As he would remember as well, through the fall economic statement last year we provided a carbon tax rebate for farmers, which they are eligible for this year, based on farm expenses.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, September 26th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the member very well knows that there is the business risk management already in place, and if that does not respond to the needs of the farmers, the AgriRecovery can be triggered.

We are currently having conversations with provincial officials to assess the damage. I will be meeting with many stakeholders in the Atlantic region, and receiving phone calls later on this week, as they are still receiving the assessment of damages.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, September 26th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, since it is the first time I am rising in the House, my heart is with all the families and especially farming families. I have had the opportunity to speak with the chair of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board and we know that it is an issue in P.E.I..

We are working with provinces. Officials have been in contact. I have also been in contact with many boards, which are going to be reporting back and assessing the damages.

The federal government will always be there. As it has been there for B.C. farmers, we will be there for Atlantic Canadian farmers.

[Jean‑Louis Franchi, September 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to pay tribute to a man who spent his life serving the Parliament of Canada. The passing of retired constable Jean-Louis Franchi on September 2, 2022, at the age of 58, is a great loss for the Parliamentary Protective Service.

Born to Italian immigrants who came to Canada in 1967, Jean-Louis Franchi began his career in Parliament in 1982 as a messenger. In 1986, he became a constable with the House of Commons security service. On October 22, 2014, the day of the parliamentary precinct shooting, Constable Jean-Louis Franchi was the first officer to protect the Prime Minister in the caucus room until the RCMP arrived on the scene.

I would like to offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends. I also want to thank the members of the Parliamentary Protective Service, who work hard every day to ensure the safety of those participating in our parliamentary democracy.

[Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, September 16th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to be here this morning to offer my sincere condolences to the royal family on behalf of residents of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, but also to honour a life devoted to public service.

I was fortunate enough to have the choice to run for political office, but the Queen did not get a choice. At age 25, she was called upon to assume the mantle of Queen of the Commonwealth. I am so impressed that this woman dedicated herself to serving the people every day of her life for 70 years. She did her duty.

As francophones, we can have debates about the importance of the monarchy. Sometimes, we hear from the media that it is easy, that those people are living the high life at Buckingham Palace, and so forth. However, I believe that that is not important and it is not what we are discussing today. We are talking about the fact that a woman devoted 70 years of her life to public service. That in itself is very honourable, and I commend her courage.

Some days, we feel less interested in staying in this job. However, we have the option of retiring. We have the option of saying that we are hanging up our skates and leaving our jobs. Queen Elizabeth II did not have that choice. She had to continue to fulfill her duties every day, and I think that is honourable, as I said.

Several MPs mentioned that the Queen came to Canada 22 times, which is more times than she visited any other Commonwealth country. Although she did not have the opportunity to conduct an official visit to the riding I represent, I believe that she must have travelled through it while driving on Highway 417, which links Ottawa and Montreal.

That being said, I would like to share a few short anecdotes. I never had the opportunity to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but I know that my predecessor, the Hon. Don Boudria met her for the first time when I was one year old, in 1984. He met her eight times over the course of his career. He was the minister in attendance to Her Majesty in 2002. As I was saying, there was no official visit to my riding, but we still had a connection to the Queen through my associate, the former member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell.

I also wanted to say that, as a francophone, I respect the fact that she was fluent in French. She took the opportunity to learn the language of Molière. She used it many times here in Canada and that is important to me. It is important for people to be able to speak both official languages, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II met that requirement.

Finally, the last duty that she performed, which has been mentioned, speaks to her dedication to fulfilling her duty as Queen. I still cannot believe it to this day, but the last event that she did officially was meeting with Prime Minister Truss. Many of us will not have to perform duties in the last 48 hours of our lives, but she had to do that, and she did it honourably, as she always had for 70 years of her life.

On behalf of the residents of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, I offer my deepest condolences to the royal family.

[Online Streaming Act, June 17th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I also want to assure the House that the government, the CRTC, is not interested in puppies and kittens.

I am a francophone. There are 600,000 Franco‑Ontarians. Unfortunately we are not a strong market force. Is my colleague saying that we should not help develop my culture in Ontario?

That is exactly what Bill C‑11 does. The same content that is on television and radio goes into a fund to support francophone communities in developing their culture. If those same videos are streamed on platforms, nothing goes toward supporting our cultures.

Does my colleague not agree that we should be supporting my culture? Is my culture equivalent to his?