Lawrence MacAulay

[Carbon Pricing, October 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's concern. Being a farmer, I fully understand that when there is snow on the ground and we cannot harvest our crops, it is certainly a difficult situation. We are monitoring the situation. There are programs that are available, but we hope they will not have to be used. It is important and hopefully farmers will be able to harvest their crops.

[International Trade, October 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated clearly in this House many times, our party implemented supply management and we are the government that defended it.

Also, it is important to note that the American government wanted to make sure that the supply management system was destroyed. We made sure that would not happen.

As well, we will fully and fairly compensate farmers and make sure they continue to seed.

We have and will continue to support the supply management system in this country.

[Dairy Industry, October 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times in the House, we are the party that implemented supply management and we are the government that did defend supply management. It is important to note that the American government indicated quite clearly at the beginning of these negotiations that its desire was to destroy the supply management system. We made sure that did not happen.

We will fully and fairly compensate our farmers and make sure they continue to succeed. Also, the Prime Minister met with farmers today, with the dairy sector, and I have met with many of the supply-managed sectors across the country.

[International Trade, September 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say I appreciate my hon. colleague's question, but I do not. The fact of the matter is that we are the party that implemented supply management and we are the government that will support supply management.

My hon. colleague is fully aware that supply management farmers supply top quality safe food for Canadians and receive appropriate return. We will continue to support supply management in our country.

[International Trade, September 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, being a farmer and a former dairy farmer, I fully understand the quality of agriculture and the dairy farm supply management system we have in this country.

Every member on this side of the House supports supply management. It is vitally important that every member on all sides of the House support the supply management system because it is very important for the country and for the agricultural sector.

[International Trade, September 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated many times in the House, we are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that is going to defend supply management. We are fully aware that supply management provides quality product for the consumer and a reasonable return for farmers.

[International Trade, September 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times in this House, we are the party that implemented supply management and we are the government that is going to defend supply management. We understand that supply management is a model for the world. It supplies quality products at a reasonable price to the consumer and stability for the farmer.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 17th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, taking action to tackle climate change is essential for the economy and the environment. Carbon pricing is an important part of Canada’s plan to transition to a cleaner and more innovative economy. In many aspects, agriculture is leading the way in our transition to a low-carbon economy. The agriculture sector has a solid track record in using sound management practices, being innovative, and adopting new technologies to improve environmental performance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Canadian farmers have long been responsible stewards of the land and will continue to be part of the climate change solution.

Our government recognizes that farmers and farm families are important drivers of the Canadian economy. The federal carbon pricing system has been carefully designed to limit its impact on the agricultural sector. Greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and crop production are not subject to carbon pricing, and gasoline and diesel fuels for on-farm use will be exempted from carbon pricing under the federal backstop.

In Canada’s plan to price carbon pollution, the provinces can decide on the type of carbon pricing system to adopt and how the revenues will be invested. Revenues can be used in different ways, such as returning money directly to households and businesses, cutting taxes, or funding programs that reduce the cost of clean technology. In some provinces, there are also opportunities for producers to earn revenue from selling carbon offset credits generated through the adoption of practices such as conservation tillage and precision agriculture techniques.

The government is investing in a number of areas, including science and innovation, to help the agriculture sector grow sustainably and to create opportunities for farmers, businesses, and Canadians. For example, the $3-billion Canadian agricultural partnership between federal, provincial, and territorial governments will help producers continue to take action to address soil and water conservation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and adapt to climate change.

The government also delivers climate change programming outside of the partnership. The agricultural greenhouse gas program of $27 million over five years, 2016-2021, supports projects that will create technologies and practices and will transfer information on these advances to enable their successful adoption by farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The agricultural clean technology program, a three-year, $25-million investment, aims to support the research, development, and adoption of clean technologies in the areas of bioproducts and precision agriculture. These technologies will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, generate a range of positive impacts, and promote sustainable and clean growth.

[International Trade, September 17th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's question. I cannot respond for the opposition if they are split on the supply management system. If the Conservative Party is split on the supply management system, that is most unfortunate. However, I can assure the House that every member on this side of the House of Commons supports the supply management system. They fully understand how important it is to the agricultural sector. This party fought to implement supply management, and this government will preserve supply management.

[International Trade, September 17th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I can indicate clearly that this House, the Prime Minister, all cabinet ministers and I have indicated quite clearly that we will fully support supply management. It is important to realize that we are the party that fought to implement supply management, and we are the party that is going to implement supply management. We in this government understand the importance of the supply management system in this country.