Agriculture committee  I think trade agreements are good in that they give us market access. We're an export-oriented business. I think the dumping issue is one that always needs to be dealt with. A number of years ago, the corn association went and put an anti-dumping case together. It's very onerous, it's very expensive, and it's producer-driven.

Agriculture committee  Yes. We sell wheat just like we sell corn, just like we sell soybeans. We have a competitive marketplace for wheat, and it's probably one of the crops that's made us the most money in the last couple of years. If folks want to go through our Ontario Wheat Board, through the pool, they can.

Agriculture committee  I'm not sure what the breakdown is in the budget; I'm just talking blue skies here. But if the federal government got out of the direct support programming and told the provinces it would take this aspect away that they were currently paying for and make it a federal responsibility, if it said, “Now that you're relieved of that portion of cost that we're going to take on, that will give you more flexibility in Ontario to deal with your livestock industry, the grain and oilseeds industry, and the horticulture industry as you see fit”--to me, that makes the most sense.

Agriculture committee  That was in place a number of years ago. I forget the terminology of it all, but there was allocation from the federal government to the provinces based on GDP, and I think Ontario got 23%. So if there was $1 billion that the federal government gave out, the Ontario government got $230 million, and some of that went into the market revenue program and some of it was allocated to different issues at need.

Agriculture committee  I didn't want to get rid of the fed ag department; I just wanted it to focus on something different, and let the provincial ag department focus on something else. We've got so many different things. The frustration with the fed-prov agreements, and ten provinces.... How many times have the faces changed around the table every time you have a fed-prov agriculture ministers meeting?

Agriculture committee  My wife comes home from grocery shopping and complains about how much money she spends on food. I keep reminding her that we have the cheapest food around—but that doesn't usually get me too many brownie points. When you walk into a grocery store today and ask people what they think of the quality and the safeness of the food in that grocery store, they think it's at the same level and standards of anything we produce in this country.

Agriculture committee  I have one small comment. Jamie made a comment about finding good people in the banking industry. I was told that the bank we fired, which will remain nameless, had 52 different agriculture account managers in the last two years, and 29 of them had quit or left. This is all anecdotal, but you find a lot of good people in that institution, with great backgrounds, who were frustrated with the decision that was made at headquarters as to how they were to go out to their good customers.

Agriculture committee  I think Jamie hit it. I think the banking industry went through some tough times, and, frankly, the last couple of years have been relatively good in most sectors in agriculture, and they thought that was an area that they were going to recoup some money from. It's frustrating in a lot of ways, because when you need a bank, they're not there, and when you don't need them, there are people knocking at your doors.

Agriculture committee  I have two comments. First, about your “eat local” comment, we're still an export-based industry. Our family produces 16 acres of greenhouse peppers. If it were all about eat local, that 16-acre greenhouse wouldn't be there: we have a market south of us that we're trying to supply.

Agriculture committee  --so you're allowed to be here.

Agriculture committee  You just talk a lot. My background is probably similar. Being the last guy to talk in a panel means you're going to sound repetitive and say a lot of things that have already been mentioned. We have a good group of people here giving good background on different aspects. I come from a family that originated in Holland.

Agriculture committee  Hi. I'm Greg Devries. Thanks for the opportunity. Steve, I think you're normal--