These comments are direct quotations from the Hansard
documents.
Meeting with President
Mr.
Louis Plamondon (Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, BQ): Mr.
Speaker, the Prime Minister said he would bring up the mad cow issue when
he meets with President Bush.
Does the Prime Minister intend to limit his approach only to aspects that
affect farmers in the west, or does he also intend to bring up aspects
that specifically affect dairy farmers in Quebec who are having problems
exporting cull?
[English]
Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Finance, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the
Prime Minister will be dealing with a broad range of issues with the
President. Those directly involving the trade position between Canada and
the United States, that trade is worth something in the order of $1.5
billion to $2 billion per day flowing back and forth across the border. It
is hugely important on both sides.
The hon. member may rest assured that the Prime Minister has the entire
spectrum of Canadian interests in mind, and I am very pleased to see that
agriculture is very high on his agenda.
[Translation]
Mr. Louis Plamondon (Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, BQ): Mr.
Speaker, more specifically, does the Prime Minister intend to ask for the
embargo to be lifted, not only on calves, but also on animals older than
30 months? This affects farmers in Quebec in particular.
[English]
Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Finance, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the
Canadian position is that the science is clear. The regulatory process has
been fully and conscientiously completed by Canada. We have complied with
all of the international standards. We believe the border for our beef and
our live cattle should be open, period, 100%.
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