Francis Drouin

[Paris Agreement, October 3rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I just listened to members on the other side talk about farming and the importance of farming, and that somehow farmers will not progress when we enact a price on carbon. I recently spoke with the Egg Farmers of Canada, and they have managed to reduce their carbon footprint by 50% and to increase, by 50%, their production. This would be good for the residents of Winnipeg where my colleague represents his riding.

Why is it important that we put a price on carbon today, and if we do not put a price on carbon, what might happen in the future?

[The Budget, September 27th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday morning I had the pleasure of attending an announcement made by the Minister of Finance at La Cité collégiale in Ottawa. The minister announced the launch of the pre-budget consultations for his second budget, budget 2017.

I wonder if the minister could share his objectives with the House.

[Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, June 8th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, planting season is over, and summer is just around the corner.

I look forward to joining the people of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell to celebrate the best that our region has to offer. This year, the Curd Festival is celebrating its 22nd anniversary.

This festival gives us an opportunity to taste the delicious cheese from the beautiful village of St. Albert made with 100% Canadian milk. The festival offers a host of competitions, attractions, and the chance to eat one of the best agricultural products in eastern Ontario.

I encourage all Canadians to attend the festival from August 18 to 21.

Last year, the member from Papineau and now our Prime Minister attended the Glengarry Highland Games. We spoke to hundreds of people. The Glengarry Highland Games are the largest games in North America. Since 1948 close to a million people have come to Maxville to celebrate the games.

On the last week of July, I encourage all Canadians to attend the Glengarry Highland Games and hear the 50 pipe bands, and see the Highland dance, caber toss competitions, and much more.

[Committees of the House, June 7th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, this issue is not new. MPCs have been coming into the country since 2010, and even previous to that, but they have exponentially grown over the past three years. Again, the solution they are proposing will not fix the issue.

I am not practising the politics of false hope. When I go back to my riding, we talk about modernizing the industry, from producer to processor all the way to consumers. We have to work with the entire dairy industry sector to ensure that we have a sustainable, long-term solution. Fixing the issue at the border will not solve the issue, and that is the truth they have to tell their members.

[Committees of the House, June 7th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, while I do not think this debate is useless, I think dairy farmers need to hear from our members across Canada.

On the NDP position with regard to fixing diafiltered milk, do they realize that what they are proposing would be only 10% to 20% of the solution? I could go back home to Timmins—James Bay, for instance, and tell my farmers that what we are proposing is only going to be 10% to 20% of the solution. It was not that long ago that if I went back home and had 20% on a test, my mother would not be happy with me.

[Committees of the House, June 7th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share my speaking time with my colleague from Mirabel.

I thank the members for raising this important issue on behalf of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

We fully support the committee's report, and as a member, as part of the government's strong support of Canada's supply management system.

While I will be speaking specifically to Canada's supply-managed dairy sector, please understand that the Government of Canada fully supports Canada's entire supply management system. Supply management plays a tremendous role in Canadian agriculture and our government is proud to have such a strong and vibrant dairy sector in this country. Canada's supply management system is a model of stability, providing high-quality products at a reasonable and stable price, without any taxpayer or government subsidies.

Unfortunately, recently, we have seen members on the opposite side of the House speak against supply management. The member for Beauce, for instance, has called this model of stability a “cartel”, which is fundamentally unfair for farmers.

He also said that supply management impedes innovation. Either he does not take the time to visit dairy farms in Beauce or he is completely unaware of the facts. For us, in Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, a region that has more than 300 dairy farmers, innovation is very prominent.

Yesterday, together with a few other members, I visited the Sonibrand farm. The farm’s primary goal is to produce high-quality milk. To do so, the owners have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a robot that milks the cows in a manner that is more efficient and healthier for the animals.

Because of this investment, animal care has gone down 30%. Each day, they save three hours of chores related to milking and all cows are free-roaming in this barn. Because they are saving three hours a day, this saved time is spent on improving animal welfare. In fact, this farmer designed hay with less potassium, which is meant to improve hoof care or foot care for cows.

The member for Beauce believes that supply management impedes innovation, which is completely false. I respect his position. It is nice to have principles, but those principles also have to be backed up by true statements.

I am proud to stand here and say that every member of this caucus supports supply management and that our Liberal values align with supply management.

My colleagues can rest assured that the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is deeply committed to supply management and is working with the dairy sector to ensure we find a long-term, sustainable solution that works for the whole Canadian dairy sector. Having been a dairy farmer himself, the minister appreciates how important supply management is to the sector and to Canada's economy.

In early May, our government announced our intention to initiate discussions within 30 days to help the dairy industry adjust to CETA, as well as work together on the issue of diafiltered milk.

We have delivered on that commitment, and we continue to talk to the industry. The minister and parliamentary secretary have held many co-operative, productive, and important discussions with Canadian dairy producers and processors from across the country over the past week.

I am constantly communicating with our dairy farmers, so that I can defend their interests. I know that the minister and his parliamentary secretary are as well.

I will provide an example. Yesterday, I talked to a dairy farmer. I later ran into the minister. The minister immediately telephoned the farmer to speak to him directly. Our minister is available to the dairy farmers.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade had a very productive meeting with the organizers of last week's rally in support of supply management. Together, our government will work with our stakeholders to ensure the best possible outcomes are reached and opportunities for the future are achieved. The dairy industry provides over 200,000 jobs for Canadians, supports 12,000 family farms, and contributes nearly $20 billion to our GDP. If we were to listen to Conservative values, we would lose a large portion of that contribution to our economy and our rural communities across the country. Canadians rely on dairy farmers to deliver the high-quality dairy products they feed their families.

The industry is doing great work in growing markets through branding, collaborating with industry, and harnessing innovation.

I would like to speak to the importance of innovation once again to this sector, to place the trade issue we are considering today in a broader context.

Innovation technologies and practices are opening new horizons in the dairy sector. The government is proud to support this innovative industry. Total federal investments in the dairy research clusters have reached $13.75 million over five years.

Our budget also announced significant measures to support Canadian agriculture, including supply managed sectors. Investments of $30 million over the next six years will support genomics research. Over $40 million will support the modernization of a number of research centres across Canada.

Budget 2016 highlights a new innovation agenda that supports Canada's innovators, including those in the dairy sector, so that they achieve success. Our government is committed to ensuring that this innovative trend continues and that Canada's dairy industry remains vibrant.

We realize the importance of further investments in the dairy sector to help it reach its full potential. Recent discussions have helped shape the collaborative approach our government is taking to work towards an appropriate mitigation package as part of the comprehensive economic trade agreement.

Canada committed to ratifying the Canada-European comprehensive economic and trade agreement. CETA will open markets for key Canadian agricultural exports, such as beef, pork, grain, and oil seeds, fruits and vegetables, and processed food. We will absolutely continue to advance all Canadian agricultural interests as we consider trade matters, and that includes the supply management sectors.

The Government of Canada wants to ensure that we find long-term, sustainable solutions that work for the whole Canadian dairy sector. That is why we are meeting with industry stakeholders and obtaining their views. There are tremendous opportunities for domestic growth in markets for fine cheese, yogourt, and butter, for example, due to increasing consumer demand.

There are also technological advances to improve efficiency and to develop innovative new products. Taking advantage of these opportunities may require improvement in the competitive position of the dairy value chain. It will be a collaborative process, with government and industry working together to help dairy farmers capture these opportunities.

I must reiterate that the Government of Canada fully understands the importance of transition support for the dairy sector. In anticipation of Canadian ratification of CETA, we will move forward with a plan to help the industry adjust to market access commitments.

I will say it once more. We will move forward with a plan to help the industry adjust to Canadian market access in anticipation of the Canada-Europe free trade agreement.

The Government of Canada is working with the dairy industry on the diafiltered milk issue. There have been a number of productive meetings with dairy producers and processors in order to find long-term solutions that will help not just today's dairy producers, but also their children and grandchildren.

Therefore, I am proud to say that we concur with the report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

During the election, I was on the Hill with the dairy producers from my region, and I was on the Hill with them last week. I will always be there with them, and I will always defend their interests.

[Committees of the House, June 7th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech.

In it, he talked about empty rhetoric. I have been observing politics for 10 years, and I have been listening to empty rhetoric since 2010, when 4,800 tonnes of milk protein entered the country. All we heard from the government at that time was empty rhetoric.

In 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, the previous government spouted empty rhetoric and now, in seven months, we are being asked to solve the problem. When a house is damaged, it takes time to repair it, and that is exactly what we are doing.

It also takes champions in the House, and the members opposite are supporting a champion who is against supply management, namely, the member from Beauce. He said earlier that the opposition party would support this motion. However, some members of his own party do not support supply management.

I, too, was outside last week, and I spoke with dairy producers from Beauce who were not happy with their MP.

How can my colleague defend supply management if the members of his own party cannot even agree on this issue?

[Dairy Industry, June 1st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, today is World Milk Day, so it is important to point out that supply management helps sustain the dairy industry in Canada. That industry comprises 12,000 farms and families, employs over 200,000 Canadians, and contributes some $20 billion to our economy. Given that some people, including certain candidates to the leadership of the Conservative Party, want to eliminate supply management, can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food inform the House of our government's position?

[Fertilizer Industry, May 18th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, hard-working farmers could not grow and provide quality agriculture products without the right tools. Fertilizer Canada and its member companies do an excellent job of providing them with the right expertise and fertilizer.

MacEwen Agricentre and the Embrun co-op help many farmers in my riding. MacEwen Agricentre is a national leader in the implementation of the 4R nutrient stewardship strategy, which increases yields and profitability for farmers, while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and decreasing nutrient loss into waterways.

The Canadian fertilizer industry contributes $12 billion to the Canadian economy and employs 12,000 people. Last year, 46% of the world's potash came from Canada. Over the next 30 years, the world will need to increase food production by 70%.

I look forward to working with farmers and Fertilizer Canada to ensure Canada seizes this exporting opportunity.

[Finance, May 13th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, this week the government tabled the supplementary estimates (A), seeking Parliament's approval for important investments in Canadians and their communities. These estimates raised the bar once more on openness, transparency, and accountability. Will the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board please tell this House about the steps the government is taking to allow Canadians to more easily track how the government spends its money?