Neil Ellis

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, February 28th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, as I said before, we understand the pressures and the stress of the 2019 season. We made changes to the advance payments program last year to address cash flows by increasing maximum loan limits to $1 million. We have the authority to give farmers more time to repay their loans if the APP administrator requests it and if the situation warrants it.

We are in close contact with our third party program administrators to monitor the needs of farmers and will evaluate the requests for a stay of default.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, February 28th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, we understand the pressure and stress that our farmers are facing following a tough 2019 year. We made changes to the advance payments program last year to help address cash flow issues by increasing the maximum loan limit to $1 million. We have the authority to give farmers more time to repay their loans if an APP administrator requests it and if the situation warrants it.

We are in close contact with our third party program administrators to monitor the evolving needs of the farmers and will duly evaluate any request for a stay of default.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, February 26th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the opportunity to be a global leader when it comes to feeding a growing world population sustainably. The government will provide the investments needed to maximize and accelerate the efforts of our farmers, our scientists and industry. Our programs will help farmers care for their land and strengthen their businesses. These efforts will bring enormous value to our Canadian brand, already renowned in global markets for quality and respect for the environment.

We are committed to supporting farmers as they continue to be responsible stewards of our land. We will continue to work with farmers to help them capture sustainable growth while adapting to climate change.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, February 26th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to further address the question of the hon. member for Battlefords—Lloydminster on pollution pricing in the agriculture sector.

In many ways, agriculture is leading the way in our transition to a low-carbon economy. Canada's farmers are and will continue to be part of the climate change solution. That is why our carbon-pricing policy reflects the realities of Canada's agriculture industry.

Our government recognizes that farmers and farm families are important drivers of our economy. We understand that Canadian farmers are making important contributions in the fight against climate change, for example, by adopting sustainable technologies and practices like precision agriculture or conservation tillage. We know farmers are price takers and cannot easily pass along increased costs to consumers. That is why gasoline and diesel fuels for on-farm use are exempted from carbon pricing under the federal backstop. As well, emissions from crop and livestock production are not subject to carbon pricing.

As for the issue of usage of propane for grain drying, we are committed to listening to producers. We thank the organizations who have provided data and we will certainly give it full consideration. The agriculture sector already has a solid track record of innovating and adopting new technologies to improve environmental performance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As one young farmer said recently, environmental sustainability is in their DNA and if they are not caring for their land for those six consecutive generations, they are not in business. In fact, for more than a decade, greenhouse gases from agriculture have remained stable, despite growth in production.

The government places a high priority on helping the industry adjust to the effects of climate change. Climate change and the environment are at the heart of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Canadian agricultural partnership. Through this partnership, the federal, provincial and territorial governments are investing in key priorities of the agriculture sector, including the environment. The programs help farmers capitalize on opportunities for sustainable growth while adapting to climate change. They help farmers adopt precision agriculture technologies, tools and products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This helps them further contribute to Canada's actions on greenhouse gas emissions while growing production to feed the world.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is investing $70 million in agriculture science to address emerging priorities such as climate change and soil and water conservation. That includes an investment of $10 million in the living laboratories initiative, which brings scientists and farmers together to develop practical technologies of sustainable farming practices that are field tested so farmers can adopt them quickly. In Prince Edward Island, the research conducted under living lab Atlantic will help P.E.I. farmers enhance soil health, improve water quality and boost their crop production.

We know Canadian grain farmers are working hard to safeguard our environment. We will continue to invest to support them in their great work.

[Carbon Pricing, February 26th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we know that grain growers faced serious weather and market interruptions challenges last year. A wet harvest coupled with the rail strike meant grain sat in storage and required extra energy to dry. We recognize that the unusually high drying costs late in the 2019 season have added to producers' financial concerns.

We are working with our provincial and territorial colleagues to review the suite of business risk management programs we offer to producers and to make changes to ensure producers have timely, predictable and effective support. Carbon pricing is an important part of Canada's plan to transition to a cleaner and more innovative economy that reduces emissions and protects our environment.

We are exploring all potential options to address this issue, and we will continue to collaborate with provincial and territorial partners moving forward.

[Carbon Pricing, February 26th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's farmers and farm families are critical to the health and well-being of Canadians and our economy.

The green sector is an important driver of the Canadian economy, with over $20 billion in farm gate receipts and exports. Canadian grain growers have shown incredible resilience in the face of some very significant and stressful weather and market challenges last year, not to mention the CN rail strike. Wet conditions resulted in an extremely difficult fall harvest season for many growers across Canada. We recognize the challenges that farmers are facing and the extra demands on energy for grain drying.

At the same time, carbon pricing is an important part of Canada's plan to transition to a cleaner and more innovative economy that reduces emissions and protects our environment. That is why we are taking steps to review the information at hand and to consult with the sector and the provinces to determine a path forward, one that is good both for farmers and for the environment.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is working with industry to see whether existing programs can help. I thank the industry for working with us on this important issue.

When it comes to the well-being of our valued grain sector, the Government of Canada will do everything in its power to help farmers overcome these challenges, while keeping our commitment to protect the environment. The two go hand in hand. Canada simply cannot have a strong and growing grain sector without clean air, land and water. Producers understand this better than most.

We are exploring all potential options to address this issue and we will continue to collaborate with our provincial and territorial partners moving forward.

Canada has the very best farmers who grow the very best grains. The Government of Canada wholeheartedly supports the sector and our grain growers.

[Agriculture, January 28th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, we know that producers are currently facing serious weather and market challenges. In support of industry's market diversification efforts, the AgriMarketing program is a five-year, $121-million program under the Canadian agriculture partnership that provides funding to support industry's efforts to increase and diversify exports to international markets through industry-led promotional activities.

The Canola Council of Canada has received over $3.5 million for activities such as promotion, missions and research to help the canola sector diversify and increase trade to numerous markets, including China, the United States, Mexico, Japan and the European Union. We are putting forth full efforts and leveraging every available channel on the ground, both in China and here in Canada, to restore full market access for our canola seed. Our investments under AgriMarketing are also helping Soy Canada conduct trade missions to key markets like Japan to help the industry maximize opportunities under the CPTPP.

[Agriculture, January 28th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, this is the first time I have risen in the House this session and I would like to thank all the people in the Bay of Quinte for relying on me to represent them here in Ottawa.

Our government fully recognizes that the uncertainty of China's trade environment has impacted our canola and soybean industries. We remain committed to working in close collaboration with the provincial governments, industry and Canadian farmers to restore full market access for Canadian canola seed and predictable trade solutions for soybeans to China. The government knows that China is an important market for the Canadian soybean sector. At this time, there are no official technical market access restrictions for Canadian soybeans to China. However, we recognize that the agriculture sector remains vulnerable to non-tariff trade barriers impacting exports to China.

Canada has a dedicated agriculture team at the Canadian embassy in Beijing, working on market access issues and market development efforts. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is working closely with the embassy to address trade issues and advance Canadian agricultural interests in China. The Government of Canada continues to increase efforts to advance Canada's trade interest in China, including the appointment of Dominic Barton as Canada's ambassador to China. He is working on the ground and is committed to the long-term viability of the sector.

As for canola, regaining full market access for Canadian canola seed to China remains a top priority for our government. Canada continues to engage with China on multiple fronts to resolve this important issue, including through technical discussions and senior official dialogue with Chinese authorities. We have also engaged China through formal consultation through the World Trade Organization. At the same time, the Government of Canada is delivering financial supports to producers through the enhancements made under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's advance payments program and the extension of the repayment periods on cash advances for eligible producers. The increase in the interest-free limit for 2019 canola advances has allowed close to 6,120 producers to receive more than $1.43 billion in interest-free advances, providing them with the added flexibility to manage their farm operations and explore new market opportunities.

The hon. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is also working with her colleagues across Canada to review our business risk management programs, starting with the AgriStability program, to ensure they are helping producers manage the weather and market risks they face. We also remain focused on working with industry to undertake market diversification efforts to give Canadian exporters access to more markets, while reducing the risk associated with market closures. We recognize the importance of diversifying our trade to ensure Canadian farmers have access to new markets as we keep growing our exports in order to reach the ambitious target to grow our agriculture and food exports to $75 billion by 2025.

We remain committed to supporting the agriculture sector by maximizing emerging market opportunities and advancing Canada's agricultural interests in all export markets, including China.

[Committees of the House, June 19th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, entitled “Effects of Mefloquine Use Among Canadian Veterans”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

[Veterans Affairs, June 12th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, veterans homelessness is absolutely unacceptable in Canada. This is why, yesterday, I was proud to bring in my private member's motion on ending veterans homelessness to the House for debate.

My motion called on the government to prevent and end homelessness by 2025. It had the full support of veterans and stakeholders across the country. Unfortunately, members of the opposition failed to allow my motion to go to a vote in the House.

Could the Prime Minister update the House on what our government will be doing to end veterans homelessness in Canada?