SoVote

Jun/16/22 7:36:25 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech and his concern for the agricultural sector. What does he think would be the best way to support our Canadian agriculture in order to sustain ourselves, but also to go a bit further in our international assistance?

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Context: House Hansard - 90 - Jun/16/22

Mr. Richard Lehoux (Beauce, CPC)

Jun/16/22 9:43:19 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague from Battle River—Crowfoot. I rise to participate in this take-note debate on global food security, which was sponsored by my friend and colleague, the member for Foothills. As a member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, I have had the opportunity to hear from many stakeholders from around the world about the topic we are discussing this evening. What stood out to me the most was that all of the witnesses projected the same unfortunate reality that the world is at risk of famine in the coming months. Some people may be wondering what Canada can do about this. Let us be clear. Canada should be a global leader in producing and exporting food and easing any global food shortages. However, our country is struggling to get many of its products out to the global market. Whether because of failed trade agreements, lack of processing capacity or even the labour shortage, our country is behind where it should be. It should be one of the world's food production powerhouses. Today's debate seeks to shed light on the problem, which begins of course with the war in Ukraine, but also with many other global tragedies. Let us be honest: The government is contributing to the failures we are seeing today. Many of the problems we are seeing have been amplified by the current government. I would like to begin by discussing one of the problems that, in my opinion, strongly affects farmers, in other words the tariffs that Canada has imposed on Russian fertilizer. This financial burden is being borne by farmers and, once again, no relief has been provided to them. Worse, Canada is the only G7 country to impose such a tariff on Russian fertilizer, and it is our Canadian farmers who are paying the price and being punished. We have proposed solutions. We asked the Liberal government to grant an exemption from the surcharge for fertilizer purchased before March 2, before Russia invaded Ukraine. The Liberals said no. We then asked them if they would compensate the farmers who have had to pay an exorbitant price for these tariffs. Again, the Liberals said no. At a time when the world is facing an imminent threat of food insecurity, we are asking Canadian farmers to produce more. However, they are dealing with other policies that could limit their production, such as reducing fertilizer use and gas taxes. The cost of inputs, such as crop protection products and fertilizers, recently increased dramatically, further reducing our farmers' already razor-thin margins. Ultimately, farmers are price takers and cannot recoup additional costs, unlike many other businesses. These crop inputs are some of the highest expenses for grain growers. They are used as efficiently as possible, but their use should not be limited by a government policy. Canada can be part of the solution, but crops do not grow overnight. We therefore need to ensure that our farmers have the means to increase yields and production to help meet global food shortages. The Conservatives have also proposed other solutions, such as Bill C-234. The problem could be fixed by exempting fuel for farms, lifting tariffs on fertilizer, cutting red tape, and ensuring reliable and accessible shipping and access to labour. Many things are beyond our control, whether it is the weather or the geopolitical ramifications, but there is much the government can do and must do immediately to ensure that our farmers are equipped to help feed the world. In conclusion, through the Chair, I would like to address the NDP-Liberal government and say that Canada must do better. We need a plan, a concrete plan, that will provide solutions for the short, medium and long terms to help not only feed the world, but to feed us Canadians. Tough times lie ahead, and we need a leader who will bring Canadians together, finally cut through the red tape and make the decisions necessary for our country to prosper.

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Context: House Hansard - 90 - Jun/16/22

Mr. Richard Lehoux (Beauce, CPC)

Jun/16/22 9:49:18 p.m.
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Madam Chair, members will know that I will always agree with protecting supply management because the pandemic proved how important this system is. I believe that all my Conservative Party colleagues also support the supply management system.

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Context: House Hansard - 90 - Jun/16/22

Mr. Richard Lehoux

Jun/16/22 9:50:48 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I think that with what is happening to us right now and what is happening around the world, we all need to brainstorm together. That is why, in my conclusion, I asked for a plan for the short, medium and long terms for the development of our agriculture. I think that our country has to be self-sufficient in terms of feeding ourselves. I also think that if Canada is capable of producing more, then it is capable of sharing with the entire world and the people who need it the most, while helping them adopt these same farming practices.

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Context: House Hansard - 90 - Jun/16/22

Mr. Richard Lehoux

Jun/16/22 9:52:47 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I really appreciate the work that my colleague does with me at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri‑Food. Indeed, we have been hearing for weeks that prices have skyrocketed internationally. Canada should at least be able to avoid being outmatched by overtaxing itself. I think it is deplorable that Canada is currently the only G7 country imposing this surcharge on fertilizers. We know that the Americans are buying fertilizer elsewhere and have little concern for this surcharge.

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Context: House Hansard - 90 - Jun/16/22

Mr. Richard Lehoux (Beauce, CPC)

Jun/16/22 10:34:12 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I congratulate my colleague on his excellent speech. He talked about support for getting grain out of Ukraine at this time. If we want to see short-term results, we have to look at that. Does my colleague have a sense of what the government has done? Last week, when Ukraine's agriculture minister was with us, she said she needs urgent help clearing mines from fields. The fields were seeded this spring, but there will be no harvest this fall because farmers are too afraid of setting off mines to go into their fields. Has my colleague heard anything from the government about plans to do anything about that? Everybody is desperate.

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