Agriculture received limited time during the fall session’s first week
Issues affecting Canadian farmers and the overall agriculture industry received two mentions during the first week of Parliament’s fall session.
The exchanges came on Friday, Sept. 19.
The first occurred between two Liberal MPs.
Stéphane Lauzon, the Liberal MP for Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation in Quebec, highlighted agriculture is top of mind for Canadians, and that Canadian producers are facing tariffs from China on pork, canola, and seafood.
He then asked Sophie Chatel, the parliamentary secretary to Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, to update the House on available supports for Canadian farmers.
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right. Farming, the entire agricultural sector, is a pillar of our economy. It accounts for one in nine jobs,” Chatel replied. “To support our farmers who are facing completely unjustified tariffs from China, we have doubled advance payments, added $75 million to the agrimarketing program and, on top of that, opened up the biofuel sector.
We will never turn our backs on our farmers, the folks who put food on our tables.”
The second back and forth started with Steven Bonk, the Conservative MP for Souris-Moose Mountain in Saskatchewan.
He asked why the government is choosing to create more programs instead of securing market access for farmers.
“Farmers do not want handouts; they want a trade deal,” he said. “When will the Prime Minister stop hiding behind bureaucratic band-aids and finally get to work on making a real trade deal for Canadian canola farmers?”
Chatel fielded the question, again highlighting the announced AgriMarketing, biofuel, and advance payments program supports.