Ralph Goodale

[Agriculture, October 28th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the new farm debt mediation act will maintain the essential features of the old legislation including a stay of proceedings and a review and mediation process. At the same time it will avoid a good deal of overlap and duplication. It will streamline the administration of the whole program. It will provide a new appeal mechanism which was not provided for in the old law. It will provide farmers with flexibility to engage their own financial advisers rather than just taking those advisers that may

otherwise be imposed upon them. It will create a new proactive financial counselling service.

I am very pleased to say that the proposed legislation enjoys the very strong support of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

[Food And Agriculture Organization, October 23rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, Canada takes the world food summit to be held in Rome in November very seriously for a number of reasons.

Canada played a pivotal role in the founding of the FAO in 1945. We hosted the 50th anniversary ceremonies of the FAO in Quebec City in 1995 where the foundation for this summit was laid. It is also worth noting that Canada is one of the world's most productive nations in food and food products so we have a particular responsibility as we head to the Rome summit in November.

We will be emphasizing the principles of peace, democracy and human rights in our presentation.

We will be talking about the proper functioning of the world trading system so that it will be reliable from both the point of view of exporters and importers. We will be talking about the contributions to be made to productivity and sustainability by organizations like the PFRA and CIDA and private organizations like the UPA. We will also want to talk with both exporters and importers about

how we can all work better together on security of supply in the world and a vastly improved distribution system.

[Agriculture, October 10th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party does not like it when I do change my mind and they do not like it when I do not change my mind. I find it very difficult to understand their position.

What it is important for the Reform Party to explain to their supporters so that this issue can be fully understood is that the concept of dual marketing would dilute the price pooling system. It would make it untenable for there to be guarantees of initial payments.

It would make it impossible for the quantity of supply, the security of supply, to be guaranteed in world markets by Canadian marketing and there would be no ability, under a dual marketing system, to safeguard Canadian quality.

Those are some of the flaws that the Reform Party should draw to the attention of those who make this argument.

[Agriculture, October 10th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to answer this question in the House before.

It is very clear in the policy statement that was delivered, both on Friday of last week and Monday of this week, that we will be asking a very clear cut question about whether farmers wish to put all barley, that is, both feed and malting barley, on the completely open market for all sales or would they prefer to retain the current system through which the Canadian Wheat Board, as modernized by the various changes that we are making, remains the single desk seller for all barley exports and domestic barley sales for human consumption. That is very clear.

[Hog Producers, October 9th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Department of Commerce has for quite some time now been reviewing the countervailability of a number of Canadian farm programs both federally and provincially, particularly in that period between 1991 and 1994.

I am happy to tell the hon. gentleman that as a result of the most recent DOC review of Canadian programs there are two very important pieces of good news. First, Canadian hog producers will be receiving a refund of $28.5 million on duty that they have already paid and that they will be getting back.

Second, in the course of its work the U.S. Department of Commerce has also taken a look at the Canadian net income stabilization account program, the NISA program, which is the

whole farm core of our safety net system in Canada, and the DOC has confirmed that the program is not countervailable. It is trade neutral, which verifies the policy position taken by this government.

[Agriculture, October 8th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I indicated very clearly on Friday and very clearly again yesterday what the nature of the question would be.

Let me quote: "They", that is farmers, "will be asked a clear cut question about whether they wish to put all barley, both feed and malting, on to the completely open market for all sales or would they prefer to retain the current marketing system through which the Canadian Wheat Board, as modernized by the other changes announced by the government, remains the single desk seller for all barley sales for export and domestic barley sales for human consumption". It is very clear and very specific.

[Agriculture, October 8th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I can understand the hon. gentleman's frustration. Of course he is perfectly at liberty to call his own news conferences, but he prefers to come to mine in order to guarantee some attention.

On Friday I had the opportunity to outline to the news media in Regina and across western Canada the general directions being pursued by the government with respect to grain marketing and changes in the Canadian grain marketing system. Yesterday a very detailed statement was issued outlining the focus of those changes.

Legislation is presently being prepared. It will be presented to the House of Commons at the earliest possible moment.

[Agriculture, October 7th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, over the course of the last several months, including at a federal-provincial conference of agriculture ministers which was held this past summer in Victoria, I have had the opportunity to consider the structure of the Alberta program. It is fair to say that the program is raising concerns among provincial agriculture ministers in several other provinces and among various producer organizations.

One of the fundamental objectives of our new generation of farm safety nets is to try to ensure to the maximum extent humanly

possible that various forms of programming, both federal and provincial, across this country are fair and equitable for producers and as among various regions.

The hon. gentleman can be assured that the Government of Canada will be watching very closely to make certain that all programs are applied in an equitable manner so that all farmers in every corner of this country are treated fairly.

[Agriculture, October 3rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the matching investment initiative is a very creative way in which my department works with the private sector in increasing the total pool of funds available for agri-food R and D in this country.

In the 1995-96 fiscal year, the first year of the program, it was virtually fully subscribed with a total of $24 million being invested in new agri-food research and development activities. So far in 1996-97, just in the first quarter of this fiscal year, we have invested a total of more than $30 million in matched funds under this initiative.

I am confident it will be fully subscribed doing good work from Newfoundland to British Columbia in the interests of agriculture and agri-food in Canada.

[Canadian Wheat Board, October 2nd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Angus Reid organization will be intrigued with the hon. gentleman's allegation of manipulation. I will be certain to draw that to the attention of Mr. Reid and he can take whatever response he deems appropriate.

With respect to the barley issue, as I have said, the government is on the verge of making its policy pronouncements. The hon.

gentleman has only a few days to wait and I think he may be intrigued by the position we announce.