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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 195

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 11, 2023 10:00AM
  • May/11/23 1:59:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, island farmers are at the leading edge of climate adaptation. They are strong stewards of the environment and they know first-hand the impacts a warming climate has on the future of their industry. Recently, island farmers have been working with the potato board researchers and the living lab in their studying of cover crops. Cover crops assist in retaining nitrogen and nutrients, build soil organic matter, reduce erosion and create better resilience against increasingly frequent extreme weather events. Research has also shown they can produce up to a 10% yield improvement, and some varieties of cover crops can produce additional income for farmers. They are now utilized in nearly 50% of fields where potatoes were planted the year prior. I would like to commend the leadership of research and agronomy specialist Ryan Barrett and island producers on their innovative efforts to adapt to changing climate while still ensuring they produce some of the finest foods in the world.
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  • May/11/23 2:10:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the Prime Minister is completely out of touch. His government is driving up farmers' costs, and now he plans a 41¢-a-litre tax on gas, heat and food. Canada's largest megaproject, spring seeding, is now in progress. Farmers are planting their crops and they tell me this is the most expensive year ever. Farm cash expenses exceeded $11.5 billion in 2022, 11% higher than in 2020, and this year they will be even higher. His deficits have driven up borrowing rates, making it more expensive for farmers to finance their crop inputs. Thanks to the Prime Minister's carbon tax, farmers continue to have expenses that their global competitors do not have. Our farmers want a change. They are tired of the Prime Minister's out-of-touch policies. They want a government that does not punish them for growing food. They want a government that is committed to letting them do what they do best: feeding Canadians and feeding the world.
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