Wayne Easter

[Canada Grain Act, March 3rd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I actually wondered if the parliamentary secretary would get to Bill C-13 when he started, but I can understand why he would avoid it. The bill completely ignores the work and the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. The parliamentary secretary and the current minister were part of that committee.

I have a couple of questions for the parliamentary secretary on what he said at the beginning. He went to some length to state that the government was putting farmers first when the direct opposite is true. I believe the government's performance in agriculture is a record of failure. Would the parliamentary secretary agree with me on these points which prove it is a record of failure?

He talked about stable, bankable programs. We now know that AgriStability and AgriInvest, the two new bankable programs from Growing Forward, in times of declining prices, when there is a decline of 15% in terms of income, they actually return $7,500 less than the old CAIS program, which the government opposite railed against.

In terms of AgriFlex and the promised $500 million during the campaign over four years, that is really $190 million of new money over five years. Another broken commitment. It cancelled the cost of production program, the $100 million annually that went to producers. Would he not call that a failure?

Finally, on AgriRecovery, it just does not do the job in terms--

[Agriculture, February 27th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board yesterday tried to defend his record of failure at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture meeting, but the facts belie the truth.

At committee, witnesses from the Canadian Cattlemen's Association responded that the minister has not delivered. He insulted P.E.I. producers with 1¢ per pound crop loss, announcing $12 million but delivering $3 million. Now estimates show that the $100 million per year cost of production funding is cancelled, agri-flexibility omitted.

Farmers deserve better. Why do Conservatives make promises and never deliver, especially to farmers?

[Access to Information, February 23rd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, when is the Prime Minister going to realize his office must obey the law? Following the listeriosis crisis, the Prime Minister, after months of delay, has appointed an investigator who has no power to subpoena witnesses or documents and reports to the very minister who is under question.

Now today, we have the spectacle of the PMO and the Privy Council Office refusing to release information concerning the activities of the government during the crisis.

What is the Prime Minister trying to hide? Will the Prime Minister commit today, right now, to release all notes related to the listeriosis crisis, as required by law?

[Canadian Wheat Board, February 11th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is the duty of the Minister of Agriculture to present the annual report of an agency but it is not his duty to go on a political attack against the agency that he is supposed to be tabling the report on. It is his duty to present the report.

[Points of Order, February 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is on this point, because it is important. Can you give me some clarification, then?

I raised my point of order with the minister, who I believe clearly misinformed the House. The Conservatives would have documentation to suggest otherwise if they were in fact telling the truth.

We have to have a way. When a minister is clearly misinforming the House and does not have the documentation to back it up, what are we to do? Are we going to--

[Points of Order, February 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Agriculture did last week, today the Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State for Agriculture blatantly misinformed the House on the poultry rejection program.

That program came into place in 2007 and the government continues to misinform the House as to when it came into place.

I would ask the ministers to table documents in this place that show otherwise.

[Food Safety, February 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, food safety is not an issue for government spin.

Twenty people died as a result of listeriosis. In the United States eight people died because of salmonella in peanuts and some of that food ended up on Canadian store shelves. The Auditor General last week found shortcomings with the inspection agency on inspections at the border.

When is the government going to stop undermining our food inspection system and stop putting political spin on what it is doing? When is it going to take Canadian food safety seriously and do something?

[Food Safety, February 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, food safety is of the highest concern to Canadians, yet last week the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food defended the fact that a new poultry inspection system reduces the federal inspection agency's role in poultry rejection to the sidelines. In fact, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada is taking the government to court for violating its own meat inspection regulations.

Will the minister now admit that privatization of food inspection is rapidly becoming government policy and Canadians are the losers?

[Points of Order, February 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order regarding very blatant misinformation that was given during question period. I was so thunderstruck that I had to go back and check the blues.

The member for Newmarket—Aurora asked the minister a set-up question about the new policy for poultry inspection. The minister answered that this was a pilot project developed by the Liberals in 2004.

I have checked the evidence an that answer is false. The pilot inspection project is one of the projects that is being challenged by veterinarians with CFIA right now and it came into place in 2007.

I am raising a point of order today so that the minister has the opportunity to clear the record and this blatant misinformation is not allowed to stand.

[Business of Supply, February 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is correct. What he has said is that we must act now, meaning the government must take the initiative.

As I said, it is a pretty sad commentary on the government when the co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Parliamentary Association, on his own practically, has done more and met with more congressmen, senators and people in the United States, in terms of fighting Canada's cause, than has the government. It is time for the government to wake up, smell the roses and fight for the interests of Canadians to keep this trade relationship open, and cease and desist on American protectionism.