Agriculture committee  I think I would like to say that I admire the efforts of the Competition Bureau. In the case that we're bringing forward to you, however, it's a little bit bizarre because the Minister of Agriculture and the application of the farm income stabilization are agents for a non-competitive situation.

Agriculture committee  That's correct.

Agriculture committee  Apparently that's the case, but I have to add that it's even more bizarre than that. This truly has happened. We've sold trees to forest companies who were forest companies when we sold the trees to them, and I'm sure you've read this in British Columbia. Most forest companies have been allowed to sell those forest-licensed lands now for real estate.

Agriculture committee  Some of our contracts are directly with forest companies, for example, TimberWest, which has now become a real estate company. Some of our producers sell through food cooperatives. In the case of Alberta, they sell through a cooperative, and some of our product is sold to brokers.

Agriculture committee  Briefly, there's no difference between us and other landscape nurseries. We produce in exactly the same way. In fact, as Luc has mentioned, we sell trees out of the same greenhouse, off the same benches. For ornamentals, we're producing conifers. They are Christmas trees. The impact?

Agriculture committee  Yes, the reference I read was from a letter that Mr. Strahl wrote to the B.C. Landscape Nurseries Association when they queried him on this. But you know, similar to Luc's experience, our applications were filed before we even had access to guidelines that even mentioned seedlings.

Agriculture committee  If you don't mind, Mr. Godin, I'll answer first. That's why I tried to spend so much time on this “misidentification”, and I really actually believe that. We haven't directly had an opportunity to speak to the Minister of Agriculture. We certainly have had a lot of opportunities to speak to political people in our own province.

Agriculture committee  First we were given the explicit reason that we weren't eligible for farm tax. We corrected that. The second explicit reason is articulated in the letter from Mr. Strahl that says the eligibility of tree production under the program is directly related to end use of the product.

Agriculture committee  Yes, and my nursery was one of the nurseries that were awarded claims and were asked to repay. I grew seedlings in Ontario for a number of years and I do know a number of nurseries in Ontario would have been eligible and have not received moneys. I know of other nurseries who have and have not been asked to repay.

Agriculture committee  Mr. Chair, honourable members, thank you very much for the opportunity to make this presentation. While I'm here as an individual, it's really important that you know I am also here to represent nursery producers in similar circumstances across Canada. I'd like to spend the next 10 minutes having you get to know me by correcting a case of mistaken identity and letting you know how that case of mistaken identity has impacted agricultural producers' competitive ability across Canada.