Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the members of the committee for inviting me to testify today. My remarks will focus on two points, namely the labour shortage and the fluctuating cost of inputs. On the labour front, temporary foreign workers, or TFWs, are essential workers in t

Agriculture committee  That's right. We're talking about worker mobility, allowing workers to move from one farm to another, staying in the agricultural sector.

Agriculture committee  That's right. The need to give farmers that break is one of the important factors to consider. We mustn't forget the issue of development in outlying rural areas, where people have needs. Smaller operations are not always able to hire full-time workers. If the employees could wo

Agriculture committee  Yes, we need that. Right now, we have to apply each year. In our opinion, the process really needs to be streamlined so that we can apply every three years. Administratively speaking, we need to cut down on paperwork. We recommended that the number of pages in the form be reduce

Agriculture committee  The administrative requirements involve substantial costs. We represent horticultural producers and vegetable growers who grow asparagus, onions and so on. The first real problem they encounter comes when they need to buy their seed, whether it's for produce or horticulture. The

Agriculture committee  Right now, we're facing a labour shortage in all sectors, and agricultural workers are not the only ones being targeted for raids. They are also happening in processing, lumber, construction and other industries. We see workers arrive here with a contract with the farmers who hi

Agriculture committee  Employment contracts should be recognized, along with the sectors with which they are associated. In other words, when temporary foreign workers or seasonal workers decide to apply for a farm labour program, it should be made clear that they must remain in the farm labour sector.

Agriculture committee  We can certainly submit it to the committee. As you will see, we kept the really important questions and got rid of those we found redundant. We were able to eliminate 24 questions and six pages. Like I said, as farmers we're often asked to take action against climate change and

Agriculture committee  As far as forage and rabbit production are concerned, some commodities are still not included on the list. Farmers often mention that to us. That's why we need to work on defining “primary agriculture”.

Agriculture committee  I think everyone can agree on that. It's just a basic administrative change.

Agriculture committee  The current margin is 30%. We're asking to go back to the 2013 margin, which was 85%. That's really critical. People are worried about operating margins right now, given the volatility and the impact of cost overruns due to inflation. We already have a program and there's no ne

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question. Transportation is a major consideration in agriculture. We need only think of the impact the 2019 CN strike had on farmers. That strike led to millions of dollars in losses. We need to clearly understand the issues associated with delayed shipments.

Agriculture committee  There absolutely must be measures in place in case of problems. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, some programs would at least restore the situation with regard to operating margins. There are huge cost increases right now. Mr. Campbell mentioned input costs and so on, and I

Agriculture committee  Certainly, Mr. Lehoux. We'll be pleased to send you the form. In fact, we've already sent it to members of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. We'll be happy to send it to you, too.

Agriculture committee  Yes, I agree with you. This needs to be corrected. There was a slowdown in the fall, but the government and other authorities still allowed us to get support quickly. Poaching has an impact on the ground. As I was saying, it poses risks to producers as well as causing uncertain