Gerry Ritz

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as is well known, a couple of days ago, avian flu was detected on four farms, which are under quarantine now, in the Fraser Valley. That, of course, has an eight-kilometre range that is taken into account.

So far, the testing is ongoing. We are working with industry right now. They will begin putting birds down in those affected barns very soon.

When it comes to compensation, of course, that was all redone some two years ago, so farmers know exactly what they will be compensated, per bird, and we will certainly honour that.

This is totally unlike what happened in 2004, when the Liberals at that time let this just run like a prairie fire up through that Fraser Valley. Not this time.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite cannot hear himself think. We can certainly see them sink.

Having said that, there were several hundred farmers here in town last week for the GrowCanada convention. I had the great opportunity to speak to them. They are all celebrating the success in western Canada.

When it comes to complaints, we are shipping, on average, 17% more tonnage, year after year, since the single desk has gone, and our complaints have gone down 40%. That is a success.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, of course, all of these candidates go through a rigorous hiring process. They are hired on merit by the board of FCC. They fit in. They bring skills to that board that serve farmers. I went through a list, for one of her colleagues yesterday, of how much better farmers are doing under this Conservative government. Of course, New Democrats voted against every one of those initiatives.

The member from Winnipeg would be the grinch at Christmastime and take away marketing freedom. We will not allow that to happen.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the antics of my friend from Winnipeg Centre are well-known across Canada. A number of law firms have sent their kids through college on the fees they have collected as he apologizes and pays out dollars to people he has wronged.

The member is wrong again. This is a process driven by the CWB through a recognized audit and legal firm looking at the process and making sure that everything is fair and above board.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite likes to cherry-pick his facts. I have some great ones here.

The number of Canadian farms earning half a million dollars and more has increased by 166%. Farm cash receipts for the first three-quarters of this year totalled $42 billion, higher than previous years. Livestock receipts are up over 15% from the same period last year and now total $18 billion. Net cash income reached $12.7 billion in 2013, higher than it has ever been, and crop receipts rose by 4%.

We have a great story to tell for farmers across Canada.

[Agriculture and Agri-food, December 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the easy answer is that absolutely none of that is true or based upon any kind of fact at all.

The Farmers of North America's bid was adjudicated by a third-party auditor and legal team that the CWB put into place. This was not a political process.

As to the assets of the CWB, they will become part of a privatization plan as it looks to recapitalize with another partner. That is exactly what is happening, under the auspices—as I said, all these tenders are looked at through the eyes of a third-party audit team, as well as a legal team.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I said no such thing at committee. What I said was that the so-called assets are heavily leveraged. It has a building in Winnipeg worth some $10 million, according to the real estate appraisals, which is on the books at $14 million, because there have been some renovations done. It had a $75 million computer system that is not needed anymore. It had over $200 million worth of pension payouts that were required. All of these things start to add up. On the boats the member talked about, there was a deposit of $20 million against a $150-million loan.

There is a lot of money that has needed to be paid out. There was some contingency money, which has never been farmers' money. In fact, under the old Liberals, the board went to court to prove that its raison d'être was orderly marketing, not price premiums.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing more pathetic than that question were the first three he asked here today.

Having said that, what the CWB is planning on doing is capitalizing, with a partner, from outside the country or inside the country, whoever the successful bidder is, to make itself stronger, to actually have a better footprint throughout Canada, as it has been doing. It has been buying facilities in Thunder Bay to help its exports. It is looking at an entity to come in and help it capitalize and continue to expand that strong response in western Canada.

[International Trade, November 20th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, about the only thing in that statement that is correct is that there are hundreds of quality Canadian cheeses produced in our great country. A number of those end up on tables in the European Union, and it is welcoming of our Canadian cheese in the deal we have signed.

We continue to work with the Dairy Farmers of Canada and with the processors on the best way forward, and we will continue that dialogue.

[Agricultural Growth Act, November 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, he just made the point at the end. After 23 years, the points have all been made. No one has changed his or her mind.

The NFU came in many different iterations to committee and said exactly the same thing it had been saying for 23 years. Grain growers of Canada, canola growers, dairy farmers, and all the other relevant groups came forward and said exactly what they had said, that they needed to be competitive, they needed the best, they needed to move forward on this and get it done. That is exactly what we are doing.

We are starting to run government like business. We make a decision, push forward and get it done. We implement it and move forward. That is what this is all about, ensuring that farmers have access to the best varieties and the best programming we can possibly deliver as a government.