Agriculture committee  Again, to the point that was just made, food is a very diverse system, so it depends, really, on the product and how integrated it is or isn't. I think it's important to stress that profit in the food system is not a bad thing. Profit for farmers enables them to invest. Profit for truckers enables them to invest in potentially new and more energy-efficient equipment.

Agriculture committee  When it comes to a variety of different data points across the agriculture supply chain, the United States has more powers to collect and compel data than we do in Canada. They also have more resources to do meaningful analysis of that data. Statistics Canada makes an effort to do analysis based on the information they have, but I think it often leaves something to be desired.

Agriculture committee  It's not a proposal that we've made, and I'm not aware of others. It is fair to say that significant resources are dedicated to it at USDA in particular, but government needs to decide what government wants to do and how it should invest its resources. I think producing public, credible, objective analysis is a good way for government to invest the resources it has.

Agriculture committee  As is often the case, there's a lot that we don't know in Canada, or information we're missing that's available in the United States or other markets around the world. If you look at the debate over the last couple of years around this issue in particular, it's highlighted how much room for interpretation there is, how much disagreement over the facts there is and how much need there is for a more rigorous, more compelling and more objective set of analysis around what is actually happening with the cost of food.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for the opportunity to appear on this important topic. For most Canadians, paying for the food that they consume is one of the few direct transactions they have with Canada's food system. When that transaction gets more expensive, it gets attention.

Agriculture committee  Again, I think you're going back to the principle of the whole-of-government approach, which is important in this case. I think the community around Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the federal department, came together pretty quickly. They tried to be responsive and they tried to address the issues that arose during COVID-19, but this really laid bare that we didn't have a very good plan.

Agriculture committee  I think we absolutely can. It's important to recognize that already today many of the crops we produce in Canada are some of the most efficient in the world. If you look at the carbon intensity of Canadian canola as a feedstock into renewable diesel markets, for example, we really are a leader.

Agriculture committee  For Canada to estimate the impact of the regulatory environment, we need better programs that are more targeted and can be leveraged to take those public dollars and invest them with private dollars. We need to do a better job of making sure that we can export this technology and that we can export our agriculture and our products around the world as well.

Agriculture committee  We have an ongoing research program, and we have this reality in agriculture that farmers have made significant improvements in Canada. Canadian farmers were world leaders in developing and adopting no-till production. No-till production is probably the single greatest thing that Canadian farmers could have done for the environment.

Agriculture committee  For milk, the world market is changing. Canada may have a role to play in exporting products like milk powder. It's undeniable that the system in Canada is working, that it helps our farmers and ensures that some products are also available for Canadians.

Agriculture committee  It's always important to start talking about debt by putting that debt in context. Debt in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. It enables producers to invest in their business. It enables producers to buy land, buy equipment and machinery. Yes, debt is growing, but we're seeing asset values increase as well.

Agriculture committee  Yes. That could certainly be part of the solution. If we look at what's happening at the moment in the United States and Europe, it's clear that governments are investing enormous amounts of money. However, the American approach is to invest on finding solutions. It's not only a matter of supporting practices that we already know about or supporting farmers who are adopting practices like 4R fertilizer efficiency.

Agriculture committee  Yes. First of all, it's important to point out that the transportation of agricultural commodities usually represents a very small part of the carbon footprint for these products. Nevertheless, it's clear that our producers should be competitive not only in those markets to which they export their products, but also competitive here in Canada.

Agriculture committee  I believe we should always be aware of how effective this support is. The important thing is not necessarily the amount paid, but rather how the money is paid and the effectiveness of the support. In Canada, risk management programs are available, but these are perhaps not the most efficient tools.

Agriculture committee  In the long run, it certainly plays an important role, but we can't lose sight of the short term. These climate shocks don't just exist five, 10 or 15 years from now. We need approaches, practices and solutions that have systems in place so that for next year, if the heat wave or the drought you were concerned about in China this year gets worse, we're able to respond.