Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The government, first of all, shares the pride of our P.E.I. potato producers’ long history of producing the best, highest quality potatoes in the world for Canadians and international consumers. We know the issue to which you refer has touched the lives of many Islanders, from multi-generational family farms to packers, shippers and many others.

I understand that, while additional potato wart detections are possible, the risk of spread is heavily mitigated by science-based measures, including those in the Potato Wart Domestic Long Term Management Plan and the potato wart Ministerial Order. This is an important industry for all of Canada’s economy, and the government has provided significant support to help farmers through this difficult period, including about $28 million for the Surplus Potato Management Response plan to support potato producers during these trade disruptions. The government will continue to work with potato farmers to alleviate the burden that they still face.