Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Harder, as you may know, Ryding-Regency Meat Packers Limited has recently closed its Toronto plant. The closure of this facility means that we have a surplus of cattle and not enough processing capacity. These effects are being felt not only in Ontario, but in Quebec, the Maritime provinces and into Manitoba and Saskatchewan. It truly is a national issue.

The federal government has very recently announced it will grant a two-year delay to the cattle industry — beef and dairy — on the coming into force of new transportation regulations. Obviously, this is good news, but it doesn’t solve the problem of the processing capacity shortage.

Senator Harder, what is the government doing to support the beef and dairy industries through this growing crisis in both the short and long terms?