Marie-Claude Bibeau

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure members that we are working hard on supporting farmers on different fronts. We want to be there to help them be more resilient to face climate change. This is why we have invested almost half a billion dollars in measures to provide farmers with incentives and to make it more affordable for them to buy more energy-efficient equipment.

[Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, June 21st, 2021]

moved:

That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, Bill C‑12, An Act respecting transparency and accountability in Canada's efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050, shall be disposed of as follows:

(a) the bill may be taken up at report stage immediately after the adoption of this order;

(b) not more than one hour shall be allotted to the consideration of the bill at report stage and, at the conclusion of the time provided at report stage, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill shall be put forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment, provided that, if a recorded division is requested on any motion, it shall not be deferred, except pursuant to Standing Order 76.1(8);

(c) a motion for third reading may be made immediately after the bill has been concurred in at report stage;

(d) when the bill is taken up at the third reading stage, a member of each recognized party and a member of the Green Party each be allowed to speak for not more than 10 minutes followed by five minutes for questions and comments and, at the conclusion of the time provided for debate or when no member rises to speak, whichever is earlier, all questions necessary for the disposal of the third reading stage of the bill shall be put forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment provided that, if a recorded division is requested on any motion, it shall not be deferred; and

(e) the House shall not adjourn until the proceedings on the bill have been completed, except pursuant to a motion proposed by a minister of the Crown, provided that once proceedings have been completed, the House may then proceed to consider other business or, if it has already passed the ordinary hour of daily adjournment, the House shall adjourn to the next sitting day.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, June 15th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, there is indeed a certain number of risk management programs, including AgriRecovery, that are available for producers facing exceptional costs for various reasons.

The procedure is that the province consults us and its officials analyze the situation with our officials. As soon as the analysis is done, I will be pleased to share the response with the producers and with my colleague.

[Questions on the Order Paper, June 11th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a) Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, AAFC, is not in a position to share confidential third party information on specific files. However, a claim may be delayed for a variety of administrative reasons, including failure to comply with program parameters or incomplete claims documents. With respect to the mandatory isolation support for temporary foreign workers program, MISTFWP, in order to be eligible for funding, employers must comply with the mandatory 14-day isolation protocols, as well as any other public health order. They must also comply with all regulations of the temporary foreign worker program, TFWP, and/or the international mobility program for the duration of the mandatory 14-day isolation period. For example, employers must comply with regulations concerning wages and other employment conditions of the program or stream they used to hire their temporary foreign workers, such as the seasonal agricultural worker program and the TFWP.

Should AAFC become aware of an employer failing to meet these requirements, the recipient will no longer be eligible for the funding under the MISTFWP. Any amount already paid to the recipient will become repayable debts to the Crown.

In response to (b), as noted in our response to (a), the AAFC may not share confidential third party information. However, in general, a program payment is only withheld in the event that claimants are not compliant with their obligations under the contribution agreement or have failed to meet their related legal obligations. A claim will be suspended until such time as the department can confirm compliance with the federal and provincial partners involved in compliance and enforcement, such as Employment and Social Development Canada, Service Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Passport Canada, Public Health, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

In response to (c), a payment may be withheld if there is a compliance issue. Any specific information related to this file is confidential. However, in the event of an issue, in order to resolve any concern and determine if an employer meets all program eligibility criteria, AAFC would work closely with other federal and provincial government departments and agencies responsible for the management, compliance, and enforcement of the regulations in place regarding temporary foreign workers in Canada, including Employment and Social Development Canada, Service Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Passport Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Once complete, a payment will proceed if confirmation is received that the employer satisfies all eligibility criteria under the MISTFWP.

In response to (d), payments will be issued once compliance with all eligibility criteria has been confirmed.

[Agriculture and Agri-food, June 7th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure my colleague that we conducted in-depth consultations with stakeholders across the country and we had a great response.

Departmental officials are drafting a report summarizing all of these consultations. We will then have to conduct further studies, because we want to make evidence-based recommendations. Reviewing the Canada Grain Act is a priority for us.

[Agriculture and Agri-food, June 3rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, our government is obviously very committed to supporting our agricultural producers and agribusinesses, because our food security depends on them.

We have created a wide range of programs to help them, including everything from making their workplaces and workers' residences safe, to helping them bring in foreign workers.

The program that helps cover some of the costs associated with quarantine will indeed come to an end at the end of August. It is an emergency program, not a compensation program.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, June 1st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague that in the last budget, we announced compensation for Canada's dairy, poultry and egg processors. I am also working closely with the Minister of International Trade to follow up with the Canada-Quebec committee. We are confident that we are applying the tariff rate quotas in accordance with the agreement we very carefully negotiated with the United States.

I want to reassure all milk producers that we have their backs.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, June 1st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of Canada's dairy producers, and we keep our promises to them.

They have already received more than $1 billion in compensation for the agreements signed with the European Union and the trans-Pacific region. They already know what they will receive in 2022 and 2023 and compensation for the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement will follow. We remain committed to protecting the supply management system and not giving up any more market share.

I wish everyone a happy World Milk Day.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, May 13th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, I had the pleasure of announcing the 24 semi-finalists in the food waste reduction challenge.

Each organization will receive $100,000 to advance to round two, which is the market demonstration stage. These projects are very diverse and innovative. They aim to prevent waste by processing imperfect fruits and vegetables, for example, or to divert waste from landfill with new approaches to composting.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, May 6th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that the youth employment and skills program in agriculture is now open.

This year, about 2,000 young people aged 15 to 30 will be able to benefit from the program. I invite employers in the agriculture sector, from the farm to the laboratory, to offer an opportunity for work experience and be inspired by the energy and vision of our young people.

The program offers support for 50% of wages to a maximum of $14,000, plus $5,000 for travel and accommodation costs if necessary.