SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 162

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 16, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 162 - Feb/16/23
Mr. Martin Shields (Bow River, CPC)
  • Feb/16/23 6:19:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am dealing with a topic that is really important to agriculture in parts of our country. It has to do with dichlorvos and leafcutter bees. People are familiar with honey bees, but there is a very small subset of bees called leafcutter bees. These are the ones that are used to pollinate alfalfa seed and canola seed. There was a decision made in 2020 about this chemical. When they looked at this chemical, they said it is something we do not want to have used in homes. Some people might remember those old fly strips. It was connected with people, but they did not address outside use. Under the labelling, it did not say it was used outside. However, it is used outside for the parasites that attack the leafcutter bee. The leafcutter bee pollinates alfalfa seed and canola seed. Those people who grow hay, those people who grow canola need this seed. This is critical. There is no more of this supply in Canada at the end of this year. They have used up all of the inventory that is there. This is critical. The producers are saying we need an extension on what was put in to stop it from being used domestically, but this is agriculture. We need this change now. We are talking about the canola crops in this country. We are talking about alfalfa that is grown. These are the seed producers, and a by-product of these small seed groups is that they export it to the United States for about $16 million a year. We need to look at this issue. As the 2023 season ends, we will be in trouble with our seed producers in alfalfa and in canola, the very seed producers who produce it for farmers so they can grow alfalfa and canola in this country. We need to address this issue. Speaking of another particular area in our economy, most of these farmers grow this seed in an agricultural area that is irrigated. In my riding, we have a huge percentage of the irrigation that is done. When we are talking about 2050 and 10 billion people on our planet, we will need 70% more food produced. Where is that going to happen? The intensification will happen in irrigated areas. We have the water. We have the land. We grow 60 different varieties of plants and products that are exported and used in food security. The problem with the government is that it believes that carbon tax is a good thing. For our food security, it is not. It is not good, because this is an industry that uses a lot of electricity. People will find that I will get the same reply I have before, that the farmers get a rebate, but they get a rebate that is about 10% of 1% back to their operation. This does not solve the electricity. I have ag people out there paying $10,000 a month on their irrigation, on the carbon tax. This is about food security. This is where we are going to grow more food, so we need to get the carbon tax off the irrigated farms in this country.
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Context: House Hansard - 162 - Feb/16/23
Mr. Terry Beech
  • Feb/16/23 6:28:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for that clarification. Supply chain shocks felt after the global pandemic and after Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine have only underlined how important it is to protect Canadian farmers' competitiveness, whether that is in irrigation or otherwise. We have a responsible fiscal plan, as well as the lowest net debt and deficit in the G7 with a AAA credit rating. We have created more than 800,000 jobs since the pandemic started, including in agriculture. Those farmers who have seen crops ruined by extreme weather events understand that we need to combat climate change and are already taking massive strides to do so. While they undertake this necessary action, they can count on our government to continue supporting them with concrete measures that promote innovation and put money back in their pockets.
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