QUESTION PERIOD — Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement
October 27, 2020
Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate. Leader, in May, when the Minister of Agriculture was here I asked her about compensation for dairy farmers. Our dairy farmers are hurting, not only due to COVID-19 but also due to the early implementation of the new NAFTA deal, which cost dairy farmers an estimated $100 million.
The minister referred to $1.75 billion in compensation the government has promised dairy farmers over eight years for CETA and for the CPTPP, but compensation talks for CUSMA were ongoing. To date, our dairy farmers have received only $345 million in compensation, which they got last year, and some fine words in the Speech from the Throne.
Leader, when will your government announce how much compensation our farmers will receive for the early implementation of CUSMA, and will you announce a payment schedule for the remaining compensation your government promised our dairy farmers for these other agreements?
Thank you for your question. The government is very aware of the frustration that particular sector of our economy must be experiencing and is mindful of the contribution the agricultural sector plays to the well-being of our society.
I don’t have the information about which you have asked. I will make inquiries and report back when I can.
Leader, the end of the year is approaching, and our dairy farmers need some certainty so they can invest in their farms in the months and years ahead. They are still waiting for the government to put some meat on the bones of those fine words in the Speech from the Throne.
Leader, instead of simply saying farmers are important and a priority, will your government realize that they need to take action? Does your government commit that this compensation will be in the hands of dairy farmers this year, in 2020?
Thank you for the question. This government has taken numerous steps and invested large sums of money to assist the agricultural sector. I won’t list them all, but they include a $3 billion federal-provincial-territorial agreement for strengthening the sector as part of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the $1.25 billion Strategic Innovation Fund, $70 million for agricultural science and $2 billion for rural infrastructure. However, I know these programs don’t necessarily translate into cash in the pocket for individual farmers who, as I said in the beginning, are understandably anxious.
The government is working hard through these circumstances to conclude the next phase, and as soon as the date for the disbursement of those funds becomes available, I will certainly make them public in this chamber.
