Agriculture committee  I think we need to have open consultation and dialogue on this one. Most times when the temporary foreign workers come in, they want to work a maximum number of hours. They're generally happy to work 12- to 16-hour days, because it improves their lifestyle back home so incredibly

Agriculture committee  I think the greenhouse sector, which is one of the largest sectors under the horticultural banner, is a primary opportunity for us. As you're aware, the greenhouse industry has to have access to carbon because the plants within the greenhouses create so much oxygen, and eventuall

Agriculture committee  First of all on the issue of labour, all of the programs fall under the temporary foreign worker program. We deal with the seasonal agricultural worker program, which has been a tremendous success—it just celebrated 50 years of success with Mexico and Caribbean countries—and then

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much for your question. First of all, while we really work to increase export trade, we also feel that we need to concentrate more on health and nutrition with Canadians. We need Canadians to eat more fruits and vegetables. One of the campaigns that we're worki

Agriculture committee  Are you talking about the research that was done jointly—

Agriculture committee  If you look at the industry, you'll see research and innovation all the way across the industry. There is research being done on many of the farms. There is also association research being done at the provincial level. There is work being done with universities, with provincial g

Agriculture committee  No, we weren't. We were caught off guard on that, although there is a 90-day consultation period prior to its coming into effect. I believe the announcement indicated that the change would come into effect in three years.

Agriculture committee  I have one comment on that. One of the first things we will do is enter into a discussion with the crop protection companies to determine what products we have coming in for registration that could replace some of the products that are going to be removed. Products like Admire ar

Agriculture committee  The Minister of Agriculture has indicated on an ongoing basis that the current government wants to be very consultative, and we would really encourage, on issues like this, that we enter into the discussion prior to the announcement so that we can work together with the governmen

Agriculture committee  As I indicated in my presentation, we realize that climate change has to be looked at. Let's sit down at the table, work together to find the solutions, and put together the plans.

Agriculture committee  Good morning, Chairman and committee members. I wish to thank you for the opportunity to appear today to discuss the next agricultural policy framework. The Canadian Horticultural Council is a national association that represents producers across Canada who are primarily involv

Agriculture committee  The technology doesn't end up being that much of a restriction, because there's mostly not a need for government registration or acceptance of most of the technology. Certainly on the pesticide side, and especially for some of our smaller acreage crops, the pesticide companies do

Agriculture committee  Absolutely. Today's Canadian farmer is very technically savvy. If I climb into one of the tractors back home, I very often have to call one of my boys on the phone to figure out exactly how to program the computer on it so that the tractor can operate—

Agriculture committee  All of our warehouses, as an example, are computer controlled. I don't bother doing it anymore, because I have sons who do the work for me. My sons can be anywhere in the world and they can log in and check the irrigation system. They can check the warehouse to make sure things a

Agriculture committee  Certainly, bees play a very important role for many of our crops. Very often when issues like bee health come up, we tend to look for a scapegoat. We look for one issue that is going to solve the problems. I can assure you that if we banned the neonicotinoids, that's not going