Agriculture committee  Yes. This mechanism has been used by the U.S. concerning our TRQs for the dairy sector. We can see that the first response was obtained in eight months. That's considered to be quite fast, but it's not done yet. In terms of all the responses, it's not finished yet.

Agriculture committee  Yes. You're so right. We had to face the drought in the west and then the floods in B.C. Farmers are the first ones to be affected by these extreme weather events. We have our business risk management in place, and we also have the disaster financing assistance program. For B.C. we were able provide, with the province, $228 million.

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question. No. The amounts announced to date total $3 billion, if I round the number off, and are divided as follows: $2 billion for dairy producers, $691 million for poultry producers, and $292 million for processors. That covers all compensation payments in connection with the agreements with Europe and the Asia-Pacific zone.

Agriculture committee  There are two things. First, the ministerial order limits the movement of seed potatoes out of the island. We have to do that to protect the other Canadian provinces as well. The ministerial order also says that table-stock and processing potatoes can move—and you can see them moving across Canada—following strict phytosanitary measures or compliance agreements.

Agriculture committee  You're right. COVID-19 has been really hard on Canadians' wallets. Not long ago, through the food policy I am responsible for as Minister of Agriculture, we launched programs with food banks across Canada. We have chosen six main partners to provide money to food banks across the country in the best way possible.

Agriculture committee  It was coming from an internal transfer. We already had a portion of the $28 million available within the existing budget, and we needed additional funds to get to $28 million.

Agriculture committee  As you know, the first safety net that we have available for our farmers is the business risk management programs. With the province, we have extended the application date for all farmers, so that they are still able to apply to AgriStability. We have also increased the interim payment to 75%, so they can get money quickly if they need to.

Agriculture committee  I have to maybe reframe the statement, because the situation is this. When I went to Washington with Minister MacAulay in January, we had this discussion with Secretary Vilsack and we asked him.... We put a lot of pressure, because first we had to make the decision on whether we had to destroy some potatoes during the very cold season, and then we knew other decisions would have to be made in the spring.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to note that the following people are taking part in the meeting virtually: Chris Forbes, Deputy Minister; Marie-Claude Guérard, Assistant Deputy Minister, Finance; and Sylvie Lapointe and Philippe Morel from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Madam Speaker, I follow the dairy file very closely. I have hundreds of dairy farms in my own riding. I am in constant collaboration and discussion with their leaders, and I can assure the member that we are working closely together for a vision for the industry.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Madam Speaker, dairy farmers in my riding must be laughing. I have hundreds of dairy farmers in my riding and I am in close contact with them. I am in regular contact with the Canadian Dairy Commission and the Dairy Processors Association of Canada. We work closely together. They are working on their—

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, the member cannot say that we are not in touch with farmers. I spend my days, weeks and weekends talking to farmers. I can assure the House that farmers are on board. Farmers care for the environment. Farmers care for the land. Farmers care for the water. They are on board with sustainable agriculture because they know this is the right thing to do for them, for the environment and for consumers.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, I can assure members that this government is working with farmers for farmers. Farmers know how important it is for them to have sustainable agriculture. They are good stewards of the land. They know they are the first ones to be hit by climate change. They are on board to adopt more sustainable practices.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my colleague that we are very aware of the importance and impact of the labour shortage we are facing now, especially in the food processing sector. I assure members that I am working very closely with my colleagues, the Minister of Immigration and the Minister of Employment, to improve our programs for receiving temporary foreign workers.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada stands with farmers and communities that are feeling the impacts of extreme weather conditions in British Columbia. Impacted producers will have access to up to $228 million in federal and provincial support to help farmers return to production and support food security in years ahead.