International Trade committee  The short answer is no. The trade negotiators, for their part, are very skilled individuals, but they have to do what they're told. They have to take their direction from the political leadership in Canada. In a sense, it's not fair to ask them to determine the political will in Canada.

International Trade committee  I'll carry on a little further than that.

International Trade committee  I phoned Canada's trade negotiator, Mr. Gauthier, a couple of weeks ago and asked him what Canada was doing on the international scene to register our disapproval of the text and the negotiations that are happening. His standard response was that other countries clearly understand our position.

International Trade committee  We have no evidence from the negotiators or the political establishment in Canada that aggressive, clear action is being taken on the international stage.

International Trade committee  Thank you very much for the question, Mr. Bellavance. First of all, I think you're right to stay vigilant in all of these matters, because they change from day to day and minute to minute, and sometimes in the middle of the night. When the minister spoke earlier, I think the language he used was “finding a way to negotiate around these issues when they're still included”.

International Trade committee  Absolutely not. It leads to stable prices, where the farmers are getting a consistent and fair share from the marketplace. When we look at the share of the food dollar, the farmer's share of the food dollar has been going down and down and down over time. That's noticed less in the supply-managed sectors.

International Trade committee  Thank you. The short answer is yes to the two things you mentioned, income security and food security. There is a growing recognition worldwide around the food sovereignty movement. Food sovereignty is a term that people are going to be hearing more and more in the future. The National Farmers Union works through an international organization called La Via Campesina, which represents millions of farmers worldwide.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks to the entire committee for the invitation to be here today on behalf of the National Farmers Union. I would like to start by thanking all members of the House of Commons for the support they have shown for supply management. It has been very important.

Agriculture committee  I have a short comment on your quest for the parents of the CAIS program. Whether this helps or not, I would direct you to our website. I think it was in 2002. You could look for a press release entitled “Leaky Farm Aid Bucket” and you'll see what our comments were on the CAIS program when it was announced.

Agriculture committee  I would just build on what the two previous speakers have said, actually, especially in reference to the cross-subsidization. I've been critical of these independent and ad hoc government programs because lots of times it seems that the government would like to tie farmers to the mailbox at election time.

Agriculture committee  When we complain, and I think rightfully so, that we think partisan politics gets in the way of good decision-making, we have this come back to us, saying that farmers need to speak with one voice. But our experience is that when farmers have spoken with one voice.... In 2001 the biggest farm coalition that was ever built in this country was built around the opposition to Roundup Ready wheat and its introduction.

Agriculture committee  I have a very short follow-up on your question about the one voice. As long as industry, or, you could argue, civil society, has two nickels to rub together, there will never be one voice coming out of the farm community. Some company--a seed company, a grain company, a chemical company--will fund a small group of farmers to put forward their point of view.

Agriculture committee  I agree with those comments. I think my response is really the same to both that question and the previous question. In my mind, there has been too much unilateral action by the federal government and not enough cooperation, whether it's the provincial ministers of agriculture or the farm organizations involved.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for this opportunity to be here to represent farm families across the country who are voluntary members of the National Farmers Union. We support much of the analysis that was just given by our colleagues from the UPA. Much of it is very similar to our own analysis of the current situation.

Agriculture committee  The information I've seen presented at meetings is that there is more value added in the grain-growing region in western Canada than in the midwestern United States, for instance. Comparatively, value added is doing better there. I will mention specific programs that the Wheat Board itself has put in place to encourage adding extra value in Canadian enterprises.