44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 26, 2022 11:00AM
- Sep/26/22 2:23:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, P.E.I. potato farmers were already suffering because of the self-imposed export ban. Now they may have lost another year's crop. Dairy farmers out east are without electricity, meaning they might lose livestock. Fishers are losing boats, wharves and other critical infrastructure.
Traditional bureaucratic government programs are very slow to respond. What will the government do to speed up a response to help those who feed all of us get back on their feet?
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- Sep/26/22 2:59:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, farmers in Prince Edward Island have been sending me photos of collapsed buildings, livestock without shelter and acres of crops under water.
P.E.I. farmers are still reeling from the Liberals' self-imposed export ban on potatoes from last year and now, with harvest set to begin this week, another potato crop is in jeopardy. Their financial and mental health is deteriorating and many of them have said that if they do not receive support, they are done.
What concrete steps is the agriculture minister taking to help Atlantic Canadian and Quebec farmers who have been impacted by the hurricane?
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- Sep/26/22 2:59:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since it is the first time I am rising in the House, my heart is with all the families and especially farming families. I have had the opportunity to speak with the chair of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board and we know that it is an issue in P.E.I..
We are working with provinces. Officials have been in contact. I have also been in contact with many boards, which are going to be reporting back and assessing the damages.
The federal government will always be there. As it has been there for B.C. farmers, we will be there for Atlantic Canadian farmers.
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- Sep/26/22 3:00:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, conversations are not enough, and they cannot be the fallback position of agristability and advance payment programs, because we know that the impact of this hurricane has been profound.
Farmers in Annapolis Valley have significant losses in the apple orchards. They cannot meet the threshold of many of these programs. Even if they did meet the threshold, they do not get payments for months and years down the road, and that is much too late. Farmers in Atlantic Canada and Quebec need support now.
Again, what concrete and specific steps is the agriculture minister taking to ensure that those farm families get their crop off and survive this disaster?
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- Sep/26/22 3:01:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member very well knows that there is the business risk management already in place, and if that does not respond to the needs of the farmers, the agrirecovery can be triggered.
We are currently having conversations with provincial officials to assess the damage. I will be meeting with many stakeholders in the Atlantic region, and receiving phone calls later on this week, as they are still receiving the assessment of damages.
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- Sep/26/22 3:01:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when asked, farmers have stated that their number one worry is not the market, it is not the weather, it is not international trade; it is the policies of the federal government.
The delivery of seeds and plants to the farm incurs the carbon tax. The manufacture and delivery of fertilizer incurs the carbon tax. The delivery of farm products to market incurs the carbon tax. The government's plan for the carbon tax is to triple it.
In a time of 10% food inflation, will this government finally give Canadian families a break and cancel this planned tax increase?
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Madam Speaker, I am afraid my friend's question is very disingenuous because nobody has even been talking about going into provincial jurisdiction.
We are talking about a tripling of the federal carbon tax on April 1, at a time when it is already, at the level it is at now, hurting people right across the country and hurting farmers immeasurably. It needs to be taken into account with the overall economy. People cannot afford this lowering and lowering of their purchasing power. They have to be able to look after their families and live in dignity, and we should be helping them to do that by not tripling the carbon tax on April 1.
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- Sep/26/22 7:35:15 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would encourage all Canadians to give generously and help in any way they can. We congratulate the government for the announced response it made. However, we will follow up to make sure there is delivery. We do not want this to be “A” for announcement but then “F” for follow-through, which we have seen before. We want the government to deliver, and we will be watching carefully, like hawks, to make sure that the people of Atlantic Canada are not let down again.
I note the work of the great member for Foothills, who is a southern Albertan but who has become the greatest champion in Canada for the P.E.I. potato farmer. I think we should give him a round of applause. The member has been championing the P.E.I. potato farmers, and all across P.E.I. they sing his praises every day. I know he will not let up until the P.E.I. potato farmers are back up and all of their crops are able to be exported to markets all around the world.
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- Sep/26/22 7:52:05 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate that important question from the member for Kings—Hants.
As time goes on, we are going to have a better idea in Cumberland—Colchester of exactly what has happened. We are quite thankful that the blueberry harvest is already finished, as that is a major economic driver. However, there are folks there who are dairy farmers and who continue to struggle at the current time. As long as power is restored more quickly, the likelihood of devastating effects with respect to that industry are lessened, of course.
Regarding some of the other things, we are in between seasons. Thankfully, with strawberries, we are between seasons there as well, so that is somewhat of a help. However, we also have to consider how many trees are down on top of other crops, and that is going to be difficult as we move forward.
We need to be dynamic in our support here to understand that as we get more information, those folks need to be supported quickly and we need to be able to get funds out that will enable those people to resume operations as quickly as possible, with money in their own pocket.
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- Sep/26/22 7:53:15 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my heart goes out to the farmers who are going through such an agonizing time. Let us not forget that these farmers represent 3% of the population, but they feed our entire people. This shows just how much climate change and the consequences of that change will impact our food. That is why it is important to ensure a swift energy transition.
I would like my colleague to share some responsible, viable and sustainable solutions for the energy transition.
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- Sep/26/22 8:37:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I want to assure him that we are offering our heartfelt co-operation. He knows that is the case under normal circumstances. Considering the extraordinary circumstances of this evening, it is doubly true.
I would like him to tell us more, as he so eagerly hoped to do, about the consequences this hurricane has had on the agricultural community in his region. What concrete measures will be taken to quickly provide support to farmers?
My colleague knows what I want to hear.
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