These comments are direct quotations from the Hansard
documents.
Cattle Producers Denied Assistance
Ms. Jocelyne Girard-Bujold
(Jonquière, BQ): Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture and
Agri-Food has forced cattle producers into poverty by refusing to extend
assistance past September 1.
What answer can the minister, who is so boastful of his agricultural
policy framework, give to the Fédération des éléveurs de bovins du Québec,
which points out that this does not meet the expectations of farmers here
since it does not cover all losses, but only 70% of them?
How can he justify not covering the other 30%, when we know very well that
businesses are being forced into bankruptcy because of lack of income?
Mr. Claude Duplain (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of
Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I do not understand the
hon. member. We have a strategic policy framework. It has been signed, and
makes $5.2 billion available over the next three years. Cattle producers
can access those funds immediately, because the APF was signed yesterday
morning.
So I do not understand the hon. member's question at all.
Ms. Jocelyne Girard-Bujold (Jonquière, BQ): Such cynicism, Mr.
Speaker.
Laurent Pellerin, the head of the UPA, has said, “This does not suit us
at all”, referring to the agricultural policy framework. He went on,
“Quebec has 25% of the population of Canada, and 20% of agricultural
production, yet we are getting a mere 10% or 11% of the envelope”.
Thirty seconds after he has brushed aside the concerns of the cattle
producers, is the minister going to step his cynicism up a notch by doing
the same to those of the entire agricultural industry of Quebec?
Mr. Claude Duplain (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of
Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, my colleague likes to
quote people, so I will give her a quote as well. Had she read on a bit
further, she would have seen that Mr. Pellerin also said, “This will be
excellent news in the long run, however, because of the efforts to
dovetail the federal program and the farm income stabilization insurance
program”.
He went on to say, “Quebec producers should be at the same level as
before, once they have access to the best of both worlds—”.
What could be better than that?
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