SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 235 - Oct/19/23

Mr. Scot Davidson (York—Simcoe, CPC)

Oct/19/23 6:27:45 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-280

Mr. Speaker, Canada's fresh fruit and vegetable growers should be paid for the fruit and vegetables they grow, full stop. Bill C-280 will ensure that fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers are not unduly disadvantaged by the bankruptcy of a produce buyer. The deemed trust established by this bill will also support the highly integrated produce trade between Canada and the United States. Farmers and other suppliers in Canada have been pushing for these measures for almost 20 years. The absence of a deemed trust has cost produce suppliers their farms and livelihoods and has jeopardized our domestic food security. With Bill C-280, we can finally change that. This is a common-sense Conservative bill that has been supported by all parties in this House. I want to thank all members for that, especially the Conservative shadow minister for agriculture and agri-food, the member for Foothills; the chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, the member for Kings—Hants; the member for Berthier-Maskinongé; and the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford for their support. It goes to show the cross-country support this bill has. Bill C-280 will provide financial protection measures for those growing fruits and vegetables from coast to coast to coast. This includes asparagus in Quebec, sweet potatoes in Nova Scotia, and carrots in the soup and salad bowl of Canada, home to the Holland Marsh in my riding of York—Simcoe. Of course, this week we saw the leader of the official opposition clearly loved the Ambrosia apples in the great province of British Columbia. How about those apples? I am also grateful to Ron Lemaire and Shannon Sommerauer from the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, Quinton Woods from the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, Fred Webber from the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation, Jody Mott from the Holland Marsh Growers' Association, and of course, my number one staff in Ottawa, Patrick Speck, who worked tirelessly on this bill with me, as well as my staff in the riding: Jennifer, Michael and Carol. My thanks to Suzanne, my wife. I told her that it would all be worth it, all the long days and nights here in Ottawa, which I know all members can appreciate. It is time we get this over the line. I urge members to support Bill C-280 when this is voted upon next week. I trust that legislators in that other place with the red carpet, who can be a little slow sometimes, will deal with it promptly, given the multi-party support for these measures. Like we say in York—Simcoe, “Be ready, Senators”. Right now, Canadians are dealing with the high cost of food. With Bill C-56 and other measures, the government has been talking about stabilizing food prices. Bill C-280 is going to lower prices of fresh fruits and vegetables that Canadians need now, so we all need to get behind this. Too often Canadians, especially rural Canadians, think we cannot work together in this place. They think we cannot get anything done and they believe that whatever is accomplished does not have any relevance to or impact on their lives. In rural communities, people band together every day. They are the foundation of what it means to be Canadian. They want to see this place work for them, they want to see the way it works for one another. I firmly believe that Bill C-280 sends a message to every produce farmer and supplier that we understand the issues they face and that we are committed to addressing them. The hard work of passing this bill is nothing compared to the boots in the muck in the Holland Marsh, which all farmers face right across Canada, but I can tell colleagues this. We are going to get behind them with this bill. We are going to get it done. Let us get Bill C-280 passed for the farmers right across Canada.

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All Topics

The Speaker

Oct/19/23 6:32:22 p.m.
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The question is on the motion. If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

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Mr. Scot Davidson

Oct/19/23 6:33:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded division.

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The Speaker

Oct/19/23 6:33:13 p.m.
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Pursuant to Standing Order 98, the division stands deferred until Wednesday, October 25, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

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Mrs. Cathay Wagantall (Yorkton—Melville, CPC)

Oct/19/23 6:33:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to follow up on a question I raised in the House on September 29. As we all do in this place, I value the time that I get to spend on the ground with my constituents. It is only outside of the Ottawa bubble and with the workers of this country that parliamentarians can truly appreciate the challenges Canadians are facing and the sacrifices they are making, especially at this time, to keep our economy afloat. I saw this on full display this summer and fall as I travelled in my riding of Yorkton—Melville. At harvest time, farmers and producers are at work from well before the sunrise to well into the night. They do what it takes to get the job done. They form the backbone of our economy. Their success is Canada’s success. In turn, setbacks that they face create a ripple effect across our country and, indeed, across the globe. We live in Canada. I come from Saskatchewan. As all my constituents know, especially the farmers and ranchers that I represent, winter comes upon us quickly and lasts a long time. Farmers and producers, therefore, meticulously plan out their year to account for the unpredictability of weather, supply chains and yields. However, there are often matters outside of their control. Right now, they are facing a critical shortage of feed for their breeding herds after a year of drought. Precipitation remained well below normal throughout this summer, particularly in western Saskatchewan. As a result, moisture deficits have taken a critical toll on pastures and forage ranges. Livestock producers face tough choices. Some may even have to sell a portion of their herds to sustain the remainder through the winter. However, this is not an option for all producers. If they do not have the means or the source to feed their animals in the short term, herds will suffer, and Canadians will face food shortages and higher prices. Ranching families could face business failures. For months now, the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association has been just one group sounding the alarm, asking the federal and provincial governments to step up with their share of the AgriRecovery relief, to help livestock producers navigate the extraordinary burden they take on when natural disasters occur. The Government of Saskatchewan can be praised for its concern and fast action to protect Canada’s food security and the livelihoods of our ranching communities. Two months ago, it committed $70 million, or $80 per head, to sustain breeding stocks. However, the silence from the federal government has been deafening. It has yet to commit its share of AgriRecovery funding. My constituents are rightly raising some difficult questions. Is Ottawa ignoring them? Does the government want them to fail? Has it forgotten about them or, by some calculation, determined that there is no need for assistance? As their voice in this place, let me be very clear: There is an urgent need here and time is running out. I am asking again today for the Government of Canada to immediately make available its share of AgriRecovery funding, $120 per head, which will sustain precious breeding herds into the winter. The government must do its part to ensure that families from coast to coast have continued access to the high-quality food Saskatchewan’s livestock producers provide. I understand that the federal government and the Province of Saskatchewan have been in consultation and were working on a review to determine how AgriRecovery could best assist the livestock industry. I must say, respectfully, that Saskatchewan has stepped up. The time for consultation is long over. The government has pointed farmers and ranchers to the support available through this program as the answer in the past, and yet, it has not acted now. My constituents go above and beyond to feed our country. They deserve the courtesy of a straight answer.

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Mr. Francis Drouin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.)

Oct/19/23 6:38:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since this is my first chance to take part in a discussion with you in the chair, I want to congratulate you on your new role. I want you to know that you have my full respect and confidence, as is my duty as an MP. I want to thank my colleague from Yorkton—Melville for this opportunity to talk about our support for producers in Saskatchewan who are impacted by severe drought conditions. Our hearts go out to producers during these extremely challenging times. With winter coming, cattle producers are facing difficult decisions about their herds, and many producers have suffered lower grain yields because of drought. We are talking about the cumulative damage of multiple years of drought on pastures and forage production, leading to low feed supply for livestock producers. To address the member's question, the federal government is working as quickly as possible with the Saskatchewan government on AgriRecovery, and we will have more to say on this very soon. AgriRecovery allows federal, provincial and territorial governments to work together when natural disasters like this occur. Just so the producers understand, this is not a federal- or provincial-only decision. Both the province and the federal assessors get together and make an assessment based on the AgriRecovery framework they have both signed on to, with a five-year agreement, to say yes, this is a natural disaster or drought that has impacted our producers, and they work within that framework. We have a lot of experience, unfortunately, with the B.C. floods and with hurricane Fiona. In fact, this is something that both provincial assessors and federal assessors have too much experience with because of climate change disasters. Producers can help write down this income by claiming the cost of buying new breeding animals for the following year. This will reduce the tax burden from the original sale. Again, the goal is to help producers who are facing difficult herd management decisions. Saskatchewan producers also have access to all of our business risk management programs. Business risk management programs are the first line of defence for producers facing disasters like this one. Our government has already supported Saskatchewan's request for an increase to the interim payment rate of AgriStability from 50% to 75%. We have increased the compensation rate for AgriStability from 70% to 80%, starting with the 2023 program year. That means more support in times of need. We have also partnered with the province on a one-year adjustment to the AgriInsurance program to make more drought-damaged crops available for feed. The vast majority of Saskatchewan producers enrolled in forage insurance have received payments, and 60% of their premiums are covered by the federal government. My message is that our government is here for Saskatchewan farmers. They deserve and have our unwavering support. I have been to Saskatchewan. The minister has been to Saskatchewan. We will always have the backs of our farmers and cattle producers. We know they are going through a rough time. I know the member is advocating for her constituents, and I respect that. We will have good news to share with members very shortly.

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Mrs. Cathay Wagantall

Oct/19/23 6:41:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the kind words, but they are not enough. Producers are desperate right now. The Province of Saskatchewan has come forward, so there must be some kind of an agreement in place. This money is cash flow they need to move forward. We are in October. We are talking about a desperate need for food for breeding cattle. The time for federal assistance has long passed. I am tired of hearing “It's coming soon”. It is not coming soon. Saskatchewan's cattlemen and livestock producers need a federal government that is there for them during these hard times. This is one of those hard times. They are not new to drought, but this is very desperate. I know the minister is an experienced member of cabinet. He has served in this role before. I know he is aware of the essential role that cattle and all livestock play in the health of our grasslands, the health of our environment, our food security and Canada's trade with the world. Producer families rely on providing excellent food to the world, and our economy relies on their success. The cost of food has already crippled the ability of countless families to make ends meet. We need the government to step up now.

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Mr. Francis Drouin

Oct/19/23 6:43:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's comments. Obviously with AgriRecovery, it is not a provincial or federal decision. It is a decision made by the federal and provincial governments, as we have done with B.C., as we have done with P.E.I. and as we have done with Nova Scotia. The timeline will be the same. We will respect both timelines. I know when folks are facing a crisis, it can never be quick enough. However, I assure my hon. colleague that the minister and our government have the hearts of cattlemen and livestock producers in Saskatchewan in mind. We will have a timely response in due time.

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Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.)

Oct/19/23 6:43:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on October 5, when speaking to the issue of foreign interference in Canada, I asked the government to enlighten the House about whether there has been any credible or clear evidence for the government to stand up for Canadians and combat foreign interference by the Chinese Communist Party, or has it decided to embark on a diversionary conflict with another country? Today, we have seen real and actual evidence come forward outlining foreign interference in Canada by Chinese and Iranian operatives. There are Canadian citizens who have come to Canada from these two communities and who have been subjected to intimidation, to stalking and to being threatened. After months of delaying and refusing to acknowledge the existence or the extent of the activities of foreign operatives, the government botched the creation of a selective public inquiry led by a former governor general. After that debacle, we saw the establishment of the Hogue inquiry, which appears to operate more in secret than do foreign operatives. Meanwhile, Canadians continue to be left in the dark. Furthermore, Canadians are wondering why there has been such a prolonged reluctance by the government to own up to the existence of foreign interference. It is not an entirely new phenomenon. Is the governing party somehow in on it? Is there some kind of benefit to turning a blind eye? The setting up of Chinese police stations really should have been a good clue on foreign interference. Additionally, media reports about Iranian Canadians being stalked and threatened would have been another dead giveaway. While the government continues to drag its feet with respect to getting to the bottom of foreign interference in Canada, it has moved to muddy the waters even more by launching an attack on another democracy over the murder of a Canadian Sikh leader in British Columbia. Both the Prime Minister and the leader of the New Democratic Party have indicated that they have either credible or clear evidence allegedly pointing to another democracy. However, Canadians have a great deal of support for the rule of law and for due process. One would think that rather than spout unsubstantiated claims of what they allegedly possess on the case, these two political leaders would also have such belief in Canadian law. In fact, if they possess any evidence, they have a duty to provide it to the appropriate authorities who are investigating this horrible crime. They do not have the authority to utter questionable statements. They do have a responsibility to present the evidence, and a Canadian court will decide on its value. Canadian political leaders cannot supplement our justice system and become judge, jury and executioner. Nor can they bring Canada's foreign reputation into question. Such irresponsible action has caused real economic, trade and transit problems for Canadians, as well as a diplomatic war of expulsions that soured our relations within another country. Conversely, given the speed of the unfounded accusations and lack of real evidence, Canadians would have loved to have seen such zeal for combatting Iran, China and the foreign interference from them. Perhaps, in the political rush by both the Liberal Party and the NDP to garner Sikh votes in British Columbia, all rational, legal and diplomatic thought went out the window. Besides, as they say, never let the facts interfere with a possible election victory.

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Mr. Francis Drouin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.)

Oct/19/23 6:47:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, obviously the Government of Canada takes any allegation of foreign interference extremely seriously. The minister has personally engaged with Chinese counterparts on this issue, as the hon. member well knows, and we will never tolerate any form of foreign interference in Canada. As my hon. colleague is aware, in May of this year, after careful consideration, we declared persona non grata Mr. Zhao Wei, who held the position of consul at the consulate-general of the People's Republic of China in Toronto. In August, our government publicized information about a disinformation campaign on WeChat that targeted the member of Parliament from Wellington—Halton Hills. This campaign centred on spreading false narratives about his identity, including commentary and claims about his background, political stances and family heritage. We assessed that it was highly probable that China played a role in this campaign, and we raised strong objections about this activity with China's ambassador to Canada. Over the past year we have also raised strong objections with China's ambassador regarding the overseas police stations in Canada and demanded their closure. The RCMP has reported that these stations are no longer operational, and the RCMP is the right authority to act on that, not politicians. Foreign interference emanating from China and other countries is a significant danger to Canada's sovereignty, prosperity and social fabric. We will continue to do everything that is necessary to protect Canadians from this threat. Canada will continue to uphold global laws that have ensured global stability since the end of the Second World War, and we will continue to work with our allies on this. Canada remains firm in our resolve that defending Canada's democracy is of the utmost importance. We have stated time and time again that foreign interference activities in Canada are in violation of Canada's sovereignty and are unacceptable. The government, our government, will continue to choose the most effective tools from the wide range of options at our disposal to properly combat foreign interference. As the hon. member knows, there is an ongoing public inquiry on foreign interference with a focus on examining and assessing interference by China, Russia and other actors, in our last two federal elections. Our government has also established a national counter-foreign interference coordinator and office within Public Safety Canada, which includes oversight for economic security. As he knows, budget 2023 allocated $13.5 million for this purpose. The same budget allocated $48.9 million to the RCMP over three years to help protect Canadians against harassment and intimidation from authoritarian regimes. We will continue to work with allies. The fact that there is foreign interference, whether it is in Canada, the U.S. or other allied countries, is not new. We must continue working with our allies. We will continue to work with our proper authorities, like the RCMP, whether they are CSIS, CSE or our other security agencies across Canada, to ensure that foreign interference is not present in Canada, but we must continue working with our allies across the world.

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Mr. Kevin Vuong

Oct/19/23 6:51:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have to applaud my Liberal colleague for his willingness to engage in revisionist history. When it came to declaring the diplomat persona non grata, the government had to be dragged kicking and screaming into doing the right thing. We had to hear from the member for Wellington—Halton Hills, who first revealed the fact that he was targeted, before there was enough outrage and uproar for the government to finally get around to doing something, and when the Liberals did it, their statement was almost apologetic to the Chinese Communist Party. It is as if the Trudeau government thinks Canadians do not know—

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The Speaker

Oct/19/23 6:52:09 p.m.
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I know the member is relatively new to politics, but he is still an experienced member. I hope he could rephrase his question.

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Mr. Kevin Vuong

Oct/19/23 6:52:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is as if the Liberal government thinks Canadians do not know any better and that, if its members repeat something enough times, Canadians will just believe it. The reality is that there are Canadians, whether of Iranian heritage, of Chinese heritage or of a number of diaspora communities, who are at risk, have been intimidated or are being threatened. They have raised those concerns, and all they have been met with is a lot of rhetoric, a lot of good talk and no action.

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Mr. Francis Drouin

Oct/19/23 6:52:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, obviously the Government of Canada will always defend Canadian citizens. This is not partisan. This is its job. Foreign interference is an issue. It is not unique to Canada but happening in a superpower such as the U.S., in France and in the U.K. We must always work with our allies to ensure that foreign influence, whether from China, Russia or Iran, is combatted among and with our allies. That is the only way we will be successful in making sure that foreign interference is gone from Canada.

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Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)

Oct/19/23 6:53:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rose on September 20 on behalf of farmers in northwest British Columbia in an appeal to the Minister of Agriculture to come to their aid immediately after a disastrous summer that had affected many family farms. This goes back to the spring. Farmers knew very early on that there was a problem, because their crops of hay were not growing. By July, they knew how bad this problem was. In fact, after months of a class-five drought, farmers were in a situation where they were getting as little as 10% of their normal hay harvests. We have seen this across all the western provinces. I wrote to the former minister of agriculture back in July, appealed to her, raised this issue and asked for immediate help for farmers who were in a crisis. We were losing family farms. We were seeing farmers have to sell off their herds. We did not hear back from the minister. Then I met with the current Minister of Agriculture on September 19, told him about the situation and asked where the help was. He said that he had not even heard about the crisis and was not aware of any application from British Columbia. Of course, that application had been sitting on his desk for months. I do not want to hear that help will be coming soon or that the government is working on it. My question for my hon. colleague across the way is this: On what day will farmers in northwest British Columbia finally get the support from the federal government that they deserve?

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Mr. Francis Drouin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.)

Oct/19/23 6:55:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, when farmers go through droughts or climate change events, it is serious. Unfortunately, they are going through this too often. The good news, although it is unfortunate, is that whether provincial or federal assessors, they are getting too used to assessing climate change events through the AgriRecovery programs. As my hon. colleague would know, with respect to AgriRecovery, when a request is made, the province will send a letter to the federal government asking for an assessment. The province and the federal government will do the assessment together and assess whether it fits into the framework. The hon. member knows that there are business risk management programs. Farmers already have access to that through the sustainable Canadian agricultural partnership program. I know he knows that. Whether farmers go through a climate change event, have a bad year or have a bad crop, whatever the reason for it, they already have access to the business risk management program. After that, when the risk gets higher, if it is shared among other farmers, then the province gets access to the AgriRecovery framework. As I explained, the province would write a letter to the federal government requesting an assessment that they would do jointly as to whether it does respect the framework they have assigned. For instance, I know the hon. member would know about the B.C. floods a few years ago. Many farmers went through hardships. I know many dairy farmers did. I was in the Fraser Valley, which was flooded, where farmers were growing fruits and vegetables. Some were raising livestock, which unfortunately had to be killed because of the major floods that happened. With respect to public safety, the province and the federal government worked together, and then AgriRecovery kicked in to ensure that the other losses that were not covered by the regular programs would have covered the existent losses that farmers were not eligible for through existing programs. I can assure the member that, whether it is with respect to the B.C. floods or the hurricane in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, the timeline will be respected. I know that when farmers are facing a crisis, it can never be fast enough. It is the same thing with insurance; when we are facing a crisis, it can never be fast enough. However, I assure you that the federal government and the B.C. government take to heart the fact that farmers are facing a crisis and will be there with good news to tell B.C. farmers in the northern part of the province. Farmers will be happy with the results.

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The Speaker

Oct/19/23 6:58:49 p.m.
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I would like to take this opportunity to remind members that when comments are made, they are addressed through the Chair. It was just a small comment the member made. The hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

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Mr. Taylor Bachrach

Oct/19/23 6:59:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think the three dairy farmers who had to sell their farms are going to be happy with the results. I do not think the many beef farmers who had to sell off their herds are going to be happy with the results. I will tell members a couple of characteristics of a government that takes a crisis seriously. First of all, when a member of Parliament writes to a minister, they write back. Second, when the provincial government and the farmers of the region come to the federal government and say there is a crisis, it does not take three months to make something happen. It is October, and we still do not have help. Farmers do not have feed. They have sold off their animals, and we are losing a significant amount of our regional food security because the government, 4,000 kilometres away, is dragging its feet. What is his message? I want to know what the parliamentary secretary's message is to the farmers in my region who have lost their family farms. Tell me.

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Mr. Francis Drouin

Oct/19/23 6:59:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know where the hon. member comes from, and I know he is doing a good job of representing his constituents and his farmers. As I have said before, no response is fast enough when someone is going through a crisis. However, I can assure the hon. member that the B.C. government and the federal government are working hand in hand to respond as quickly as possible to farmers in order to ensure that they get the proper response. I can assure the hon. member's farmers, as they have gone through the B.C. floods in 2021, that they will be compensated with the program, through AgriRecovery. We will respond in due time. All I am asking for is patience for a few more days. I know they will get a proper response in a short few days.

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The Speaker

Oct/19/23 7:00:51 p.m.
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The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1). (The House adjourned at 7 p.m.)

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