SoVote

Mr. Dan Mazier (Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, CPC)

Feb/10/22 4:33:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for an excellent speech and the enlightening information. I want to know. What percentage of Canadians needs to be vaccinated before the mandates will be lifted?

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Context: House Hansard - 28 - Feb/10/22

Mr. Dan Mazier (Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, CPC)

Feb/10/22 6:48:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, farmers are worried, and rightfully so. I have been trying to get some certainty out of the government for Canadian farmers. I have asked the Minister of Agriculture in question period. I have asked the Department of Agriculture in committee. I have asked the Department of the Environment, and I have asked the industry. No one, and I repeat no one, has been able to confirm whether the Liberal government has ruled out limiting the amount of fertilizer that Canadians could use to grow their crops. I am going to explain how fertilizer restriction would impact Canadian agriculture, and why this issue is so important. In Canada, grain and oilseed farmers only have approximately 120 days to seed, grow and harvest their crops. That is right, 120 days. It is absolutely critical that Canadian farmers have the modern-day tools and resources available to ensure that they can produce the maximum amount of food in the most efficient way they can in 120 days. Canada has so much opportunity in agriculture as an exporting nation. Our nation produces enough food not only to feed ourselves but to feed the world. Canada exports 70% of our soybeans, 75% of our wheat, 90% of our canola and 95% of our pulses. By 2050, the world population is estimated to grow by two billion people, and agriculture production will need to increase significantly to meet that demand. As an exporting nation, I believe we have an immense opportunity to leverage this competitive advantage in agri-food to grow our economy and to create Canadian jobs. We can reach this potential while also playing an important role in addressing global food insecurity, which I believe is our obligation. How can we seize this opportunity if the government is limiting the agriculture industry? How can we maximize food production if the government would not allow us to maximize crop yields? Experts have already stated that reducing fertilizer emissions by 30% would be unachievable without reducing crop production. I am a farmer. As a farmer, I understand the fundamental law of nature that when nutrients are taken out of the soil, they have to be put back in. For example, a farmer applies a nutrient like nitrogen into the soil and the plant uses that nitrogen to grow and produce food. That nitrogen is removed from the soil when the farmer harvests the crop, because these nutrients were used to produce food. If the farmer does not apply the nutrient again, the soil is left with less nutrient and, therefore, less production potential. When crops grow, so does Canada. We should be proud of this, not ashamed. I hope the government understands, when the amount of food a farmer can produce decreases, so does their pay cheques. I hope the government also understands that when pay cheques of Canadian farmers decrease, so do the pay cheques of rural towns and communities. Agricultural policy has always been rooted in the shared belief of maximizing outputs and minimizing inputs. I seriously wonder if the government believes in the same philosophy. If it does not, it should be honest and tell Canadian farm families because their livelihoods do rely on this. Could the government tell the House and all Canadian farmers if it has ruled out limiting the amount of fertilizer that Canadian farmers could apply to their crops?

562 words

Context: House Hansard - 28 - Feb/10/22

Mr. Dan Mazier

Feb/10/22 6:56:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, this is part of the problem. For the agriculture industry, while the member has come a long way in acknowledging what good farmers do, there are still a lot of words that are very unclear. There is still really no clear answer. Producers are the ones who know best what to do on their land and for the crops, how they are testing and how they know what is going on with the soil. Farmers are, as the member has acknowledged, part of the solution. They want to be part of the solution and, by the way, they are in one of the few industries where they can actually be part of the solution and offer that to government. What the government does, and has done for years, instead of working with the stewards of the land, is ignore them. We have seen this over and over again. It will talk a good game about how it is going to help them, but it does not listen or work with them. I will ask for a clarification again. Will the government—

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