COVID-19 Emergency Response  Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague that our sugar shacks are an important sector of activity for our rural regions. We want to help them through different programs, as we have been doing with several small businesses. I would like to take this opportunity to note that the maple syrup industry had a record year last year.

Fisheries and Oceans  Madam Speaker, our government is committed to adopting an approach based on recognition of first nations treaty rights, conservation and sustainability of fish stocks, and transparent and stable management of the fishery. Lobster stocks are healthy, and this approach, which includes established fishing seasons, will ensure that stocks continue to be harvested sustainably and will ensure stable and transparent management of the fishery.

Fisheries and Oceans  Madam Speaker, our government is committed to an approach that recognizes first nations treaty rights, that focuses on conserving and ensuring the sustainability of fish stocks, and that allows for stable and transparent fisheries management. Fisheries officers are responsible for enforcing the Fisheries Act for all fishers, and anyone fishing without a licence is subject to sanction.

Fisheries and Oceans  Madam Speaker, the court affirmed the first nations treaty right to fish, and we have never stopped working on implementing that right. This is a path that allows first nations to exercise their right safely this season before a final agreement is negotiated. Seasons ensure that stocks are harvested sustainably, and any approach has to be based on conservation of stocks and stable and transparent management of the fishery.

Fisheries and Oceans  Madam Speaker, our government supports a precautionary approach to fisheries management, one that prioritizes the health and conservation of stocks. Monitoring and enforcing size limits within the commercial prawn fishery are a critical part of this approach, as it helps ensure the prawns are being harvested sustainably.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, we are very grateful to our farmers, who have overcome great challenges to continue to keep our grocery shelves stocked throughout the pandemic. Canada had a record year in 2020 with $74 billion in agri-food exports. Our government is there to help farmers get through this crisis by providing various emergency assistance programs and improved risk management programs and by ensuring that foreign workers arrive safely in Canada.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, agrirecovery is one of the important business risk management tools that we have to support farmers. The way it works is that the province has to make the request to the federal government and then we will evaluate this request together. I can assure my colleague that we are very open to support farmers in need, and this is exactly why I have made the proposal to my provincial counterparts to improve agristability by $170 million.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to confirm to my colleague that we have committed to providing $1.75 billion to dairy farmers for the first two agreements with Europe and the trans-Pacific region. We are ahead of schedule on these payments. The vast majority of farmers got their second payment in the last few weeks, and they already know how much they will get next year and the following year.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, we are actually supporting the agricultural sector much more than the previous government did. We have reinvested in science and innovation significantly. I have just proposed to my provincial counterparts to improve the AgriStability program by $170 million. We have delivered on compensation for the supply management sectors.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, today, I want to thank and celebrate our Canadian farmers, who stood strong during the pandemic to keep our grocery store shelves and also our food banks stocked with very high-quality products. Today, I want to thank and celebrate our Canadian farmers, who continue to show up for work every day, pandemic notwithstanding, to cultivate their fields and take care of their livestock.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, we will be making compensation payments to dairy producers for the agreements signed with the European Union and the trans-Pacific region over the shorter period of four years. More than 60% of them have already received their second payment, totalling $327 million.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), at the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown, most of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s, AAFC, research and development centres remained open in a limited capacity to take care of non-research, critical services such as care of livestock and collections, insects and germplasm, and the maintenance of specialized equipment and biocontainment facilities; and activities to ensure long-term stewardship of land and protect long-term studies, maintain plant germplasm, field equipment and infrastructure, maintain bee colonies and hives, and provide critical material to the sector, e.g., breeder seed.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, in early 2020, the government began analyzing the platform commitment referenced by the member of Parliament for Regina-Wascana in Q-291 on December 3, 2020, with respect to Farm Credit Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada had been in the process of undertaking an environmental scan of the agricultural financial lending situation in Canada, including agriculture and agri-food-sector-related financial products and services, including those offered by FCC.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Madam Speaker, I was very proud, a couple of weeks ago, to put a clear offer on the table to my counterparts from the provinces to improve AgriStability by 50%. The Government of Canada is ready to remove the reference margin limit in the AgriStability program and increase the compensation rate from 70% to 80%.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Madam Speaker, I am well aware of the price on pollution. We analyzed it in great detail. That is why there are exemptions for our farmers, such as exemptions for the fuel used on farms and exemptions for greenhouses. We are working very hard. We have a number of programs to help our farmers access better technologies for sustainable agriculture.