Agriculture committee  Mr. Chair, I'll respond briefly. I think my colleague Dr. Gray can address our relationship with PMRA. The member is quite correct. There was of course some drought in southern Alberta. In fact, as I understand it, precipitation levels on the prairies this past summer were comparable to those experienced in years of severe drought in the late 1980s.

Agriculture committee  The $75-billion target, I think, is itself derived from food exports. Of course, one of the benefits of growing our agrifood exports is that we strengthen the upstream and downstream value chain, so that by becoming a technological leader not only do we export more food products, but we create export opportunities for new technologies.

Agriculture committee  I think the short answer is no. The longer answer is that we know what the historic growth patterns have been and what the relative contribution of different commodity groups is to current exports. Some industry groups themselves—I believe canola and others—have said, “Here's the contribution we think we can make.”

Agriculture committee  Have they?

Agriculture committee  Okay, Mr. Chair. Perhaps I'll conclude there and thank the members for their attention. My colleagues and I are happy to answer any questions you may have.

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question. Yes, we are very concerned, in the department and in the government, about some of the problems we have seen recently in the grain sector's rail transportation system. Fortunately, we have seen in recent weeks some data that shows an improvement in the performance of the system.

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. On my behalf and that of my colleagues, I want to thank you and the committee for the opportunity to be here this afternoon to talk to you a bit about what we see as some of the more exciting technological developments in the agricultural and agrifood industries in the years ahead.

Agriculture committee  We play a role in negotiating international trade agreements. One of our colleagues is the chief negotiator for the agricultural sector. She is a regular participant in the negotiations, working closely with her colleagues at Global Affairs Canada. Yes, we play a role in the negotiation process.

Agriculture committee  Brian may be better placed to answer the question than I. I would just offer two observations, Mr. Chair. One is that, over time, we do see significant changes in the crop mix in the country relative to 10 or 15 years ago. We see a lot more soybeans in western Canada. We have seen lower acreage in wheat over time and increased acreage in oil seeds.

Agriculture committee  Mr. Chair, I would like to add something. In addition to our collaboration with the Department of Environment and Climate Change, and in keeping with our agreement, there is an interdepartmental process geared toward advancing the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change.

Agriculture committee  I can try to answer your question. Yes, there are a number of connections between the agricultural sector and the forestry sector with respect to bioeconomy. Technologies make it possible to use agricultural and forest residues. The $200 million from budget 2017 earmarked for clean energy initiatives will encourage the development of those technologies.

Agriculture committee  I thank the parliamentary secretary for the question. Yes, absolutely, we have data. Unfortunately, I do not know whether I have them with me right now, but we can follow up. As I recall, greenhouse gas emissions from animals make up the bulk of total emissions. It is a significant proportion.

Agriculture committee  Sometimes, we conduct targeted analyses of certain policies. It can be tough to measure the impact some policies can have on the agricultural sector. In those cases, we carry out microanalyses in an effort to assess the impact of our programs and initiatives, as well as to determine whether they are having the expected results.

Agriculture committee  I would like to clarify what I meant. Often, whenever possible, we conduct economic analyses on our policy development. Canada's agriculture and food sector generates about $110 billion for our economy. When it comes to smaller, more targeted programs, it is unlikely that we can measure the economic impact of certain initiatives on the sector.

Agriculture committee  I believe we already discussed that. The federal and provincial ministers announced a review of all the programs. We want to make sure the program takes into account climate change and the risks it represents for the agricultural sector. As part of that review, in addition to conducting assessments, we want to give farm operators and producers an opportunity to share their priorities and program concerns with us.