Agriculture committee  Thank you very much. I had some questions about the youth employment program and how that's working. I was wondering if you could go into a little more detail. I know we've had a couple of questions about the $4 million that's been transferred over, but it seems that in the agriculture sector there have been a lot of applications and a lot of demand for that program.

Agriculture committee  Given the need for more youth employment and to attract young people to this sector, which we obviously depend on greatly for our future, this seems to be a win-win situation right now. I don't know. I know the labour shortage is quite severe. Mr. Lehoux mentioned a shortfall of 300 employees in one area.

Agriculture committee  That's great. Thank you very much for that. Do you feel that with the money that's being spent now there's enough buy-in from the farming community? I know it's a very large community and we're talking about processors and farmers and, obviously, different types across the country.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for your remarks and the time you are giving us today, Ms. Bibeau. As we all know, the agricultural sector is very important to our economy and to Canadians' health. You therefore have a crucial role to play, Ms. Bibeau. You have numerous challenges to meet because of the COVID‑19 pandemic, geopolitical problems, and, of course, the climate crisis.

Agriculture committee  Sorry to interrupt, but I want to ask one follow-up question and I know my time is short. When you're talking to these customers, especially the ones in.... As you said, most of your product is exported. Are they hearing similar problems from producers in other parts of the world, or is this unique to Canada?

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much.

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Thank you to our witnesses for being here today. This is obviously a very important issue for all of us. Ms. Ventin, as the voice of Canada's leading food, beverage and consumer products organization since 1959, you've played an important role. I believe your organization appeared before us back in 2012, and now you are here again today.

Agriculture committee  Thank you. You mentioned human infrastructure in your response and also in your opening remarks. You also mentioned that you'd like to attract and retain people who are living here in Canada in your communities. What do you think the industry can do to try to better attract and retain people in the industry, from the transportation sector to the processing sector?

Agriculture committee  I'm sure you're aware of the national child care program that our government has been negotiating with all the provinces. Do you feel this will be a benefit to your member companies?

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much. Mr. Innes, I know you have an extensive background in the industry beyond Soy Canada. You talk about the value chain a great deal. Within the context of the agri-food supply chain, how does Soy Canada stay focused on what's valuable to Canadian customers and work to deliver on those things?

Agriculture committee  Thank you. One of the witnesses earlier talked about agriculture 2.0, and when you look at any investment sites on different industries, agriculture is often shouted out as one of the least advanced, with only perhaps construction behind it. I think the science behind it is very important.

Agriculture committee  Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I just want to say thank you to all the witnesses for being here. We've had incredibly interesting panels today. I wish I had more than two and a half minutes to ask questions; but given that I do not, I would like to direct my question to Monsieur Thériault.

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you to all the witnesses for being here. I want to start with the Chamber of Commerce. You made some comments early on about regulatory burdens and also investment in transportation infrastructure. You mentioned that you wanted to look at measurable economic returns.

Agriculture committee  Absolutely. I agree. But when you were talking about making the decision on where to put this infrastructure spending so as not to spread it too thin, you mentioned looking at measurable economic returns. Do you look as well at the environmental impacts or what the environmental consequences might be of some of these investments?

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much. I have a question for Mr. McLinton from the Retail Council of Canada. You mentioned that retailers were highly resilient and that most of the shelves were still quite full despite the different impacts we've had to our supply chains, but labour was really one of the big issues.