These comments are direct quotations from the Hansard
documents.
Bush to Visit
Ms.
Denise Poirier-Rivard (Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, BQ): Mr.
Speaker, the mad cow crisis is hurting Quebec farmers. After 18 months of
the U.S. ban on our cattle, it is high time this matter was resolved.
Does the Prime Minister intend to take the opportunity of President Bush's
visit to Canada to tell him that we consider it completely unwarranted to
close the border to all cattle because of one cow in Alberta 18 months
ago?
[English]
Hon. Andy Mitchell (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.):
Clearly, Mr. Speaker, we have been making the point to the Americans on an
ongoing basis that we believe we should have access to the U.S. market. In
fact, we have had almost 160 separate interventions. We were very pleased
last week when President Bush informed the Prime Minister that the rule
change had moved out of the USDA and into the OMB with a specific timeline
attached to that process.
[Translation]
Ms. Denise Poirier-Rivard (Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, BQ): Mr.
Speaker, the Minister for International Trade has confirmed that the
American president may announce the end of the American embargo on
Canadian beef within a six-month period. Announcing a timeline is all very
well, but the farmers have to live in the meantime.
In addition to this timeline, will the Prime Minister be announcing
temporary aid measures to help farmers get through this crisis?
[English]
Hon. Andy Mitchell (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.): Mr.
Speaker, as I have said in the House in answering questions from the Bloc
in the last couple of weeks, we provided over $366 million through
business risk management to producers in Quebec.
As the hon. member has pointed out to me and others, there is a very
specific problem in terms of the cull cows. We are working with the
province of Quebec, and producers in Quebec and elsewhere to address that.
The long term solution, of course, is to build increased slaughter
capacity and we announced funds for that initiative on September 10.
[Translation]
Mr. Roger Gaudet (Montcalm, BQ): Mr. Speaker, on October 15, the
Government of the United States decided to impose countervailing duties of
up to 15% on imports of live hogs from Canada.
Does the Prime Minister intend to explain to President Bush that these
duties are unjustified and that Canada does not want another interminable
conflict like the softwood lumber issue?
[English]
Hon. Andy Mitchell (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member may know that when the Americans brought an
action against the Canadian government in terms of a countervail, a ruling
clearly indicated that was not the case. The decision found in favour of
Canada and no countervail was put in place.
In terms of the anti-dumping, we have been working with the industry, and
in particular through our embassy in the United States, to indicate
clearly that such an action is not only not in the best interests of
Canadian producers, it is in fact not in the interests of American
producers as well. We have been making that case to the Americans on an
ongoing basis.
[Translation]
Mr. Roger Gaudet (Montcalm, BQ): Mr. Speaker, John Block, former
U.S. secretary of agriculture, has called these duties totally unjustified
and said that Canadian exports do not harm American production.
Does the Prime Minister intend to tell President Bush that these duties
harm not only Canadian farmers but American farmers as well, because a
number of them buy their feedlot stock from Canada?
[English]
Hon. Andy Mitchell (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, that is what I just said. I absolutely agree with the member.
We will continue to make that point to the Americans.
Ms.
Belinda Stronach (Newmarket—Aurora, CPC): Mr. Speaker, yesterday the
Minister of Foreign Affairs promised Canadians on national television to
expect a happy surprise tomorrow when the President of the United States
will announce a fixed date for reopening the border to Canadian cattle.
Yet at the same time, officials from his own government were downplaying
expectations. Canadian ranchers, feedlot operators, dairy producers,
truckers and their families will not appreciate game playing from this
government.
If there is no announcement of a fixed date for the opening of the border,
will the minister himself apologize to Canadians for irresponsible
management of the Canada-U.S. relations file?
Hon. Andy Mitchell (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in the answer to an earlier question, what in
fact took place last week was an announcement by the President informing
the Prime Minister that the rule that is necessary to be put in place to
make a change was passed from the USDA to the Office of Management and
Budget. That process has a set time period to it, 90 days, and that clock
has begun to run. Once that is completed, there are 60 days in which it
can be implemented.
Ms. Belinda Stronach (Newmarket—Aurora, CPC): Mr. Speaker, my
question is for the Prime Minister. We will hear many fancy words tomorrow
from the Prime Minister and his ministers, but the reality is that the
U.S. President is making his first visit to Canada, its largest trading
partner, at the end of his term. There is no better proof of Liberal
failure to build this critical relationship.
Will the Prime Minister apologize to Canadian livestock producers, dairy
farmers, their families and communities for taking 18 months of their
suffering to get the President's attention to BSE?
Hon. Andy Mitchell (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.): Mr.
Speaker, that certainly is not the case. We have been actively engaged
with the Americans since May 2003 to open the border. In fact, we saw
after 100 days the opening of the border to certain muscle cuts that could
go to the United States. That was very helpful to the industry. Through
that period of time we have had four separate programs to assist our
producers in dealing with the BSE issue and we continue to work with the
Americans. Last week's announcement in terms of the rule change is
evidence of that.
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