SoVote

Mr. Richard Bragdon (Tobique—Mactaquac, CPC)

Apr/27/22 2:05:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is blessed with an abundance of natural resources that should be responsibly and sustainably utilized. Now is the time to invest in strengthening our energy resource, agricultural, technology and manufacturing sectors, which would assist in returning Canada to prosperity and help in lowering the cost of living across the country. We can also be a stable supplier of safe, clean, ethical and reliable energy, food and resources to countries that are desperately searching for safe alternatives at this time, displacing dictatorial and authoritarian suppliers with democratic ones. After all, energy security and food security are national security and international security. The world wants more Canadian goods, food and energy. Canada wants more Canadian goods, food and energy. What we lack is a government with a vision to get Canadian goods, food and energy to market. On this side of the House, we are committed to advocating for increased Canadian self-reliance. Canada must take necessary actions now to bolster our energy, food and resource development.

168 words

Context: House Hansard - 59 - Apr/27/22

Mr. Martin Shields (Bow River, CPC)

Apr/27/22 7:19:55 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-234

Madam Speaker, it is great to be here tonight. The initial question I asked had to do with an agricultural issue, and I would like to continue along that theme. The president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association recently stated, “Absolutely we are unfairly targeted because we are a primary producer have no way of dealing with the carbon tax.... It is a pure cost to us, and there isn’t really a way for us to become more efficient.” That is the problem our agriculture producers face. It is not only the carbon tax, but also the carbon tax that is applied to truckers, to rail and to the moorage of the ships parked in the harbour waiting to be loaded. All of those taxes are downloaded back to the primary producer, the farmer, the agricultural producer, who has no way to recover against those costs. Recently, there was a 25% increase in the carbon tax. That is a huge add-on to our agricultural producers. To get specific, in my riding, where we have huge irrigation districts, this is a cost that affects that irrigation. It is millions of dollars if we look at all of the irrigation districts, but particularly for the four largest ones in my riding, it is a significant cost. This is money that leaves the communities and the producers and is not returned in a rebate. That is the percentage that is not returned, the millions of dollars paid to provide that irrigation. As well, 4% of the arable land in Alberta produces 29% of the agricultural production of the GDP in Alberta, which is huge, but their increased costs are also huge. We have the most significantly efficient high-producing agricultural producers in Canada, but what they do not get credit for is the 384 billion tonnes of carbon they store in the soil. They use practices that keep improving the storage of carbon, but they get no credit for it. A private member's bill from a member in our caucus, Bill C-234, is moving forward on exempting farm fuels from the carbon tax. That would be the first step. Then we get to the issue of fertilizer. Agricultural producers work very hard on the four Rs: right source, right rain, right time and right place. They are getting incredibly efficient at it. The fertilizer industry contributes $23 billion annually to Canada's economy. That is 76,000 jobs. Now the government is talking about reducing the use of fertilizer by 30%, without a benchmark. Farmers do not want to buy fertilizer that is not needed. It is very expensive and harder to get. Agriculture employs 2.1 million people and generates $139 billion of Canada's GDP. By continuing to go after those things that increase production, which we are going to need in this world, Canadian farmers, who are the most efficient, the best equipped and the best at it, will not be supported by this, which is a challenge for the agricultural producers in our country.

513 words

Context: House Hansard - 59 - Apr/27/22

Mr. Martin Shields

Apr/27/22 7:27:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, agricultural business is small business, and I think I outlined why, as producers, they cannot recover those costs. I want to shift slightly to another one. The federal and provincial governments announced a $900,000 grant to do with hemp. Hemp is an incredible agricultural product. The problem is that it is not classified under agriculture. It is under health. We have decreased the amount of hemp grown in this country because the red tape and restrictions, when it is grown under health, are brutal. Other countries have figured this out. The United States is beginning to figure it out. It is not marijuana. We want to grow hemp. It is an incredible product. It can be used for many things. I am encouraging the parliamentary secretary, as I have many on that side, to get hemp out of health and into agriculture. The government is investing money in it, in a project in Alberta. It is joining up with the province. Let us get it in agriculture.

170 words