44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 15, 2023 02:00PM
- Feb/15/23 2:13:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today we are celebrating Canada's Agriculture Day by paying tribute to our farmers' hard work, perseverance and innovation. These men and women work so hard day after day so that Canadians and the rest of the world have healthy, nutritious, high-quality food to eat.
As a fourth-generation farmer, I am very proud of the contribution that agriculture makes in my region. It is very important that future generations have the stability and predictability they need to maintain the family farms that do so much to keep our rural communities strong.
As Conservatives, we want to create prosperity and opportunities for the entire agricultural industry. Agriculture must be one of the economic drivers for getting our economy back on track. The government must adopt policies that make farming easier, not harder.
Today, on Canada's Agriculture Day, let us take a moment to thank all those who work tirelessly to provide us with excellent food.
I thank all farmers across Canada for their passion, commitment and perseverance, but, above all, I thank them for feeding our families.
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- Feb/15/23 2:14:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today, across the country, we are celebrating Canada's Agriculture Day. The next time we enjoy a meal, I invite everyone to think about the people behind the food that ends up on our tables.
In my rural riding, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, I know many farmers. They pour their hearts and souls into providing us with the best food in the world while protecting the environment for future generations, despite enormous challenges such as natural disasters and labour shortages.
Billions of dollars and 2.1 million jobs in Canada depend on our industry, and it all starts with the farm. As the saying goes: no farmers, no food, no future. Now, more than ever, let us support them in their efforts to sequester carbon, to protect biodiversity and to reduce emissions while, at the same time, increase yields and protect farm livelihood.
Today, let us acknowledge all those who make up Canada's innovative, vibrant and forward-thinking agricultural industry. Happy Canada's Agriculture Day.
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- Feb/15/23 2:16:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today is Canada’s Agriculture Day, and I want to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the amazing and hard-working people who produce such an amazing abundance of food and drink in Canada. This is a day to showcase the innovative ways our agriculture and agri-food sectors are confronting the challenges of food production in the 21st century.
Food matters, and its journey from the farm to the factory to the fork is an important topic of discussion. This is especially true when so many Canadians are struggling to feed their families and so many farmers are struggling with debt while corporate grocery chains are making record profits. My NDP colleagues and I are committed to taking on those corporate profits and reinstating fairness for both farmers and consumers.
Let us raise a fork to the food we love and to the people who produce it. As the NDP’s critic for agriculture and food price inflation, and on behalf of the entire NDP caucus, I wish all my colleagues a happy Canada's Agriculture Day.
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- Feb/15/23 2:19:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to wish our farmers, our ranchers, our processors and our producers a happy Canada's Agriculture Day. It is so important that we understand the role Canadian agribusinesses and agriculture play in bringing together farmers and consumers as “agvocates” in this important industry.
We all have a role to play in educating Canadians about where their food comes from, why we do it, how we do it and the fact that we do it better than anyone else in the world. Whether they wear coveralls or lab coats, the people who work in this industry are world leaders in innovation, sustainability and efficiency. On this Canada's Agriculture Day, now more than ever, our Canadian farm families need a partner, an advocate.
As Conservatives we understand that to unleash the full potential of Canadian agriculture it must be environmentally and economically sustainable. No matter where one is in the world tonight, when we sit down with friends and family and have a meal, thank those who work so hard to put that quality food on our tables.
I wish all my colleagues a happy Canada's Agriculture Day.
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- Feb/15/23 2:37:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I guess the minister did not understand I was asking a question about agriculture, not about oil prices.
What the Liberals have to understand is their carbon tax has very real consequences. What it is doing is suffocating Canadian farm families and giving Canadian families sticker shock when they go to the grocery store.
It is only going to get worse. When the Liberal-NDP carbon tax coalition triples its carbon tax, a farmer will be paying $150,000 a year in carbon tax. There are consequences. The consequences are that produce is up 13%, bread is up 16% and pasta is up more than 20%.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for this food crisis and axe this farm-killing carbon tax?
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- Feb/15/23 2:40:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today is Canada's Agriculture Day, and I am very proud of everything we have done for our farmers over the years. We have provided the most funding to this sector to support farmers, with a focus on investments in green technology. We have provided nearly half a billion dollars for green technology alone.
Yesterday we announced an additional $150 million for the protein industries supercluster. We are there for farmers. We have increased our budgets for risk management programs, because we know that our farmers are having to face extreme weather events. We also increased the budget for the Canadian agricultural partnership, something the Conservatives never did.
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- Feb/15/23 2:42:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague from Quebec that the price on pollution is not applied in the same way in Quebec. It is administered by Quebec.
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind all of our farmers that we have improved the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada advance payments program, which provides short-term loans of up to $1 million. The advantage of this loan is that the first $250,000 is interest free. I encourage farmers to take advantage of this interest-free loan.
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- Feb/15/23 3:07:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of talk about Canada's Agriculture Day, which is being celebrated today.
There is also more talk about global food security lately. When we talk about food security, we are also talking about our economy. Agriculture is one of the key pillars of the Canadian economy in the 21st century.
I would like to ask the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food if she can tell us what the government is doing to support the development of this important economic sector.
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