Wayne Easter

[Ellen Foundation, September 29th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. John Willoughby, who has been working diligently for several years on a project called the Ellen Foundation.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a farm emigration policy on juveniles was established between England and Canada. This agreement brought 100,000 English children to Canada to work as farm labourers. These children came to be known as "home children".

Mr. Willoughby has just launched his book entitled Ellen -The Story of a Home Child who was sent to P.E.I. Ellen, as it turns out, was the inspiration for Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery.

The Ellen Foundation is dedicated to assist home children and their descendants to establish and locate their roots in the United Kingdom, to preserve the history and heritage of the home children, and to provide the information here and abroad on their story and their strong contribution to the building of Canada.

I congratulate John and wish him much success.

[Committees Of The House, June 22nd, 1995]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present the ninth report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food examining the impact of the elimination of the Western Grain Transportation Act, the Atlantic Region Freight Assistance Act, the Maritime Freight Rates Act and the Feed Freight Assistance Act.

The report is entitled "Dismantling the Crow: Curbing the Impacts".

[Dawndale Farm Supplies Ltd., June 9th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to offer congratulations to Dawndale Farm Supplies Ltd., located in Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary and its recent investment in new milling equipment and expansion of its business.

David and Jean Tingley have worked very hard over the past 10 years devoting their time and energy as well as money into making their business a successful one. It is this type of entrepreneurship which leads to economic prosperity, not only to communities and provinces but to the country as well. When communities thrive and prosper, everyone benefits. The Tingleys are not just working for their community and their business but they are also supporting community events like 4-H.

Congratulations to David and Jean and best wishes for continued success with this latest investment not only to their business but also to the farming communities they serve and work with so well.

[Agriculture, June 7th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

During the appearance of Assistant Deputy Minister Comeau before the agriculture and agri-food committee last week, extensive reference was made to memos written by officials of agriculture Canada that left the impression the government might not be fully supportive of the supply management system.

Could the minister clarify the issue and give his commitment to the government's support for supply management?

[Petitions, May 19th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have a petition from 258 residents of the province of Saskatchewan, who request and call upon Parliament to desist from legalizing the use of rBST in Canada. They further request that legislation be passed requiring it to be mandatory that all imported products from BST and rBST treated cows be so identified.

[Canadian Dairy Commission Act, May 16th, 1995]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.

I want to make it very clear that Bill C-86 is only talking about the legislative authority to implement a national pooling system of market returns from the different classes of milk. It will not establish a national quota exchange. To be very clear, it will set up a national pooling system of market returns and would give that authority within the context of federal-provincial agreements on pooling mainly through delegated functions. I raised quota exchange because it is a concern of producers in Prince Edward Island that this legislation not been seen as the first step toward moving in that direction.

This requirement is really as a result of the GATT. In terms of the point he raised with respect to GATT and NAFTA, we in Canada know which tariff reduction regime has priority. We know it is the GATT negotiation and not NAFTA. The Americans may differ in their opinion but certainly we are firmly behind the stand that the GATT tariff reduction rules apply.

[Canadian Dairy Commission Act, May 16th, 1995]

Madam Speaker, I am happy to join my colleagues in the debate on Bill C-86, an act to amend the Canadian Dairy Commission Act and to add my support to this important initiative.

Dairy farmers of Canada as well as producers in my home province of Prince Edward Island are very anxious to see the bill passed prior to the end of June so that the legislative requirements laid out in the act are in place prior to August 1.

The P.E.I. milk marketing board held a number of public meetings on the proposals outlined in the act and had strong producer support. However I underline the important point that producers in my province do not want to see this as the first step in moving toward a national quota exchange. It is important to have the quota distributed throughout the country and not drawn basically into Quebec and Ontario through quota pricing practices. I underline that as a concern.

The bill provides Canada's dairy sector with the ways and means to successfully face demanding new market realities. As well the amendments are very much in line with the government's fiscal goal of getting the deficit under control.

The new milk pricing and pooling system will not require any additional resources from government reserves. It will not entail any contingent liability on the part of the federal government or involve any reallocations from within the Canadian Dairy Commission's current operating funds.

As my colleagues before me have noted, the principal amendments to the act provide the commission with the legal administrative authority to work co-operatively with provincial milk marketing authorities to calculate the average national price level for the milk classes whose returns will be pooled, to obtain the returns from sale to processors through the provinces and then to redistribute the returns to producers through provincial authorities on an equitable basis under the terms of a formal federal-provincial agreement.

The other amendments contained in Bill C-86 are even less complicated. They are necessary to add clarity to the act to ensure compatibility and consistency with provincial authorities and legislation, to enable proper and efficient banking procedures and administration of producer money, and to strengthen the enforcement provisions of the act.

Through Bill C-86 a provincial milk marketing board is specifically defined to add clarity to the act and to ensure consistency with similar provisions contained in the dairy products marketing regulations. The new industry pooling system for milk marketing returns will be carried out through arrangements agreed upon by the Canadian dairy commission and the provincial milk marketing authorities.

An amendment has also been included for clarity to ensure that there is no misinterpretation of the fact that the regulations made under the CDC act do not take precedence in terms of the authorities provided to the commission under the act.

The provisions contained in any legislated act always take precedence over any regulations made pursuant to the act. That is an important point. Other amendments provided by Bill C-86 enable the commission to recover pool administration costs from the pool, to establish a special bank account to deal solely with the producer moneys entering and leaving the pool through the provincial authorities, and to permit the CDC to establish a line of credit to ensure continuity of producer payments. These are important principles to ensure that we meet our GATT obligations and that we are not using government moneys to fulfil these procedures.

Under pooling arrangements the Canadian dairy commission will simply be administering a pool of producer moneys on behalf of producers. If necessary, any borrowing costs would be undertaken on a short term basis only to ensure timeliness of payments as moneys enter and leave the pool. Any such borrowings would be subject to prior approval by the Minister of Finance and be totally funded by producers.

Bill C-86 also enables the CDC to continue its long standing practice of returning any excess fees or levy funds rightfully owed back to producers. The amount of in quota production per producer can only be estimated at the beginning of each dairy year. The amount of actual production is not known until the end of the year.

While no penalties are charged for under producing milk, under the supply management system over quota production is exported and levies are charged on these amounts to cover export costs and other related CDC program costs. The same type of situation may well occur under the pooling system as average national prices will be calculated at the beginning of a certain period and may differ when the marketing costs are finally determined. Again, no additional government funds are involved.

The last amendment contained in Bill C-86 strengthens the enforcement provisions of the CDC act. Given the attorney general conducts all litigation for the commission and has the power to seek injunctive relief in its own name the new provision will ensure the same relief is available if litigation is commenced by or against the commission in the name of the CDC.

Again I urge my fellow members to fully support Bill C-86. Such approval will demonstrate clear recognition of the importance of Canada's dairy sector and the continuation of the supply management system and its benefits to not only producers but to all Canadians. This is a model we should be encouraging other countries to adopt and these amendment will go a long way in terms of making it compatible with GATT agreements.

[Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, May 10th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

The issue of investment is extremely important to small and medium size businesses. They may not be interested on that side, but the issue of investment is extremely important across Atlantic Canada.

Given recent media coverage of the meeting of the minister with the four Atlantic premiers and the chartered banks on a proposed Atlantic investment fund, will the minister now inform the House on the status of the proposal?

[Seasonal Employment, April 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the working group on seasonable work and unemployment insurance on the excellent report "Jobs with a Future".

As it correctly points out, there is no such thing as a seasonal worker but only seasonal work. People who work in seasonal jobs may have no other work available to them in the off season.

Seasonal industries and the people who work in them have overcome the challenges of the harsh Canadian climate and geography and have built on the base of our abundant natural resources one of the most prosperous countries in the world.

Seasonal work currently provides jobs and livelihoods for over a million Canadians. Seasonal industries and the people who depend on them will continue to make major contributions to our regional economies even as we move into the new information economy. Unemployment insurance reform must take into account these special circumstances of those employed in seasonal work.

I encourage all members to read this well documented report and support it soundly.

[Farm Improvement And Marketing Cooperatives Loans Act, April 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to speak in favour of amendments to the Farm Improvement and Marketing Co-Operatives Loans Act.

As has been stated previously, we are seeking to amend the act in order to increase the aggregate principal amount of loans allowed under the act from $1.5 to $3 billion. The program has proved very popular with farmers. In fact, I have had considerable experience with the use of the farm loans act in my own farm operation.

Consequently, as a result of this demand the present five year $1.5 billion cap has almost been reached. The Farm Improvement and Marketing Co-Operatives Loans Act is one of the best accepted programs in existence by the farm community. As is seen, it is used substantially.

FIMCLA is a loan guarantee program designed to increase the availability of credit on reasonable terms to farmers and farmer owned marketing co-operatives. It allows investments in new technology and equipment and covers a wide range of farm improvement projects.

I would throw a note of caution that we have to be careful here and not just make guarantees for the banks. There is a commitment by the lending community here and there has to be a commitment to the farm community as well. We do not want to see the situation where the banks just use this program when they really do not need to use it to have a guarantee on the funds they are lending out. The objective then must be to put more capital into the system to assist farmers who otherwise might have difficulty in acquiring loans to get them from the lending community.

The improvements the moneys can be used for include the purchase of farm machinery, clearing land, installing irrigation or drainage systems, fences, construction or renovation of farm buildings and the purchase of livestock or farmland. The loans can also be used by co-operative associations for investing in value added production. This could include facilities for processing, distributing or marketing farm products such as washing or packaging plants. We have had a considerable amount of that kind of operation in my riding in terms of the potato industry.

As well the loans can be used for alternate farming enterprises such as organic production. That is an extremely important point. Here is a production base that I think has a tremendous and an increasing potential. There is very definitely a niche market in terms of organic products and it will be increasingly so in the future.

Sometimes it is very difficult for people in the organic production industry to get loans in the normal course of events. Extending the amount of money under the act should make it possible for those people in the organic production industry to acquire the necessary funds to meet their needs.

It is important to note that the environmental impacts of the projects are considered. Environmental impact assessments are commonly used on the larger projects.

Through the program, farmers get better interest rates than those normally available, usually .5 to 1 per cent below the prevailing rate. They are also allowed to borrow with a minimum equity of 20 per cent. This is extremely important especially to younger farmers getting into the industry or some of the higher risk farming operations.

The act also facilitates access to credit in rural areas, putting investment power into the hands of producers and marketing co-operatives. It strengthens production and financial stability in rural Canada.

FIMCLA supports adaptation and diversification. It encourages rural development and sparks job creation. The program has become increasingly important to rural lenders such as credit unions and Caisses populaires that offer credit to farm producers. The Canadian Bankers Association, the Credit Union Central in Saskatchewan and la Confédération des caisses populaires Desjardins all support the proposed increase. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other major groups have also been consulted and support the proposed amendment.

The program has been an inexpensive way for the government to support primary producers and the downstream industries. Historically the net loss in terms of lending under this program has only been 1 per cent. Any extra costs incurred under the new act will be offset by an increase in the registration fee paid by the producers and marketing co-operatives that benefit from the program. Taxpayers are very well served. Improvements made under the program contribute to the strength of Canada's economy and decrease dependency on government subsidies.

In conclusion, I ask members to support Bill C-75 by increasing the aggregate principal amount of loans which can be guaranteed. The program will continue to be offered to farmers and farmer owned marketing co-operatives. In so doing, we will be supporting one of the major wealth producing industries in this country. We will be ensuring that primary producers, where all the wealth generates from in terms of the farm production base, have the availability of capital under reasonable terms so that they can be the kind of wealth generating industry which so many other industries spin their wealth from.