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House Hansard - 71

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 13, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 71 - May/13/22
Mr. John Nater (Perth—Wellington, CPC)
  • May/13/22 11:12:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are those in our country who measure their days in acres rather than hours. With the spring planting season upon us, farmers in Perth—Wellington and across Canada are on the land, growing the food that will quite literally feed our country. Agriculture is always an unpredictable business, with so many variables that all impact a farmer’s bottom line and their hopes to be in the black when the last field is harvested in the fall. While farmers are prepared for these uncertainties that come with the business, what they are not prepared for are the uncertainties placed upon them by the government. For over 10 weeks now, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has refused to clarify whether fertilizer orders placed prior to March 2 would be subject to the 35% tariff. Since those orders were placed prior to sanctions being in place, the tariffs impact only Canadian farmers and agri-businesses; they have zero impact on Vladimir Putin and his thugs. I implore the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to finally stand up for farmers and farm families.
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Context: House Hansard - 71 - May/13/22
Mr. Yves Perron (Berthier—Maskinongé, BQ)
  • May/13/22 11:55:21 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think he grabbed the wrong sheet of talking points for his response. We agree with the sanctions. What we are asking for is a no-brainer. The bill for the fertilizer the farmers bought predates the conflict. The federal government needs to exempt the farmers from the 35% surtax. It is as simple as that. It is not complicated. Farmers also stand with the Ukrainian people, but they should not be penalized for orders they placed before the war, when no one could imagine the horrors that would unfold in Europe in 2022. Can the government at least tell the farmers that they will not have to pay for this?
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Context: House Hansard - 71 - May/13/22
Mr. Francis Drouin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.)
  • May/13/22 11:56:03 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question and his work at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. We are of course working closely with the industry. We must first ensure that we are not providing companies with any incentives to continue doing business with Russia, in light of the illegal war on Ukraine started by President Putin. We also want to ensure that farmers have access to fertilizer at a fair price. We will continue to work with the industry to find a good solution.
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