Goldie Ghamari - Question Period - Agriculture and the USMCA

00:00:00.040 My question is for the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. As we

00:00:11.100 celebrate Ontario's 20th Agriculture Week, I'm reminded of farmers in my

00:00:15.480 riding of Carleton, farmers like Graham Greene and Janet Acre-Smiley, and all they

00:00:20.320 do to put food on Ontario's tables. However, it's also been a tough week. The

00:00:26.120 The USMCA will result in significant market access being given to the U.S. at the expense

00:00:32.240 of Ontario's farmers.

00:00:34.220 It's disappointing that our federal counterparts have created this uncertainty for our agriculture

00:00:39.620 industry.

00:00:40.620 Last week, our Premier and Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade went to

00:00:46.300 Washington, sending a strong message that Ontario's farmers remain top of mind.

00:00:52.180 Mr. Speaker, through you, what will the Minister do to ensure the federal government will keep

00:00:57.460 the concerns of Ontario's farmers top of mind?

00:00:59.960 Mr. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

00:01:02.960 Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much to the member for the question.

00:01:07.220 Our farmers are the bedrock of our community, and we are reminded of their contributions

00:01:11.960 during Ontario's 20th Agriculture Week.

00:01:15.080 Indeed, it's been a rough start for the week for our supply-managed sector following the

00:01:19.580 USMCA.

00:01:20.580 However, the Premier and I have taken immediate action to do everything in our

00:01:24.660 power to help our farmers. We have met with our supply managed stakeholders to

00:01:29.460 assure them that we are calling on the federal government to compensate our

00:01:33.360 farmers for their losses. The Federal Minister Freeland has mentioned our

00:01:38.460 farmers will be compensated fully, fairly and for the concessions that they've

00:01:43.520 made and we will hold them to account for that. Protecting our farmers ensures

00:01:48.780 ensures that our food is protected safe and of the best quality. Our government is committed

00:01:54.380 to working with our farmers as we continue to review the USMCA.

00:01:59.540 Thank you very much.

00:02:04.500 Thank you to the Minister for that answer. I am proud to be part of a government that

00:02:08.260 stands up for its farmers and appreciates their contributions to our communities. I look forward

00:02:13.720 to working with our government to ensure we can assist Ontario's farmers to the best

00:02:18.060 of our abilities, and to urge the Trudeau Liberals to keep Ontario's farmers top of

00:02:23.460 mind.

00:02:24.460 Mr. Speaker, back to the Minister.

00:02:26.600 Can the Minister please tell us what else he is going to do to create an environment

00:02:32.680 that is supportive and open for business for our farmers?

00:02:35.680 Mr. Speaker.

00:02:36.680 Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the member for the supplementary

00:02:41.000 question.

00:02:42.000 I also wanted to thank all the caucus members yesterday who took time to visit and take

00:02:46.620 pictures of our tractors on the south driveway yesterday in celebrating Ontario Agriculture

00:02:52.260 Week. Mr. Speaker, as mentioned before, our government is committed to standing up for

00:02:56.560 our farmers. As we continue to review the USMCA, we will work with our farmers and urge the

00:03:02.540 federal government to compensate them accordingly. Our natural gas expansion plan, if passed,

00:03:07.700 will put more money into the pockets of farming families and businesses so they can continue

00:03:12.160 to provide for more of the best quality food our plan to scrap the cap and trade carbon tax will

00:03:18.160 also do the same if passed to put more money back into the pockets of taxpayers we're cutting red

00:03:24.880 tape and regulations as seen first through our changes to our wildlife damage compensation

00:03:30.080 program with more announcements to follow on june 8 our government was elected to make ontario open

00:03:36.960 for business again. We have taken immediate action to make life more affordable and efficient

00:03:42.480 for our farming.

Goldie Ghamari - October 03, 2018

Question Period - Agriculture and the USMCA

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