Sophie Chatel

Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of visiting Charlevoix, in my colleague's riding, to meet with farmers and food processors. This beautiful region is joining together to make life more affordable for the people of Charlevoix and the surrounding areas. We are going to make the food more affordable by working together through the national food security strategy. We will create jobs in my colleague's region throughout the processing sector. Laiterie Charlevoix and others will benefit from this.

Mr. Speaker, during my visit, I also met with the reeve of the Charlevoix RCM. He supports many of the government's affordability measures. Our measures mean more municipal infrastructure. Our strategic investments in infrastructure will support the creation of more housing in my colleague's region. In addition, children will have access to the school food program, which is set to be rolled out in schools in my colleague's riding. I hope he sees that we are working hard for the people in his riding.

Mr. Speaker, our rural communities are built on strong values: helping each other, working hard and coming together when times are difficult. These values are passed down from generation to generation. This year, we are proud to celebrate two milestones in Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi: the 150th anniversary of Otter Lake and the 175th anniversary of Litchfield. Since the early days of their existence, these two wonderful communities have grown thanks to the families, entrepreneurs, workers and community leaders who have dedicated themselves to making our beautiful community a great place to live. Today we are celebrating their history, but above all, we are celebrating the people who have built those communities and who continue to shape their history every single day.

Mr. Speaker, I have some good news for my colleague. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced Canada's national food security strategy. This strategy is built on four key pillars: investing in our regional food infrastructure to increase choice and competition, processing more food here in Canada, increasing year-round production of fruits and vegetables, and cutting red tape. That is how we will put more Canadian food on the table and bring down the cost of groceries.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is well aware that the national food security strategy will lower the cost of groceries. More specifically, we will invest $1 billion to boost food processing here in Canada. Right now, we are sending our agricultural products abroad for processing. Now, we will invest in this sector. That will give Canadians more choice, put more Canadian foods on grocery stores shelves and make groceries a lot more affordable for Canadian families.

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to travel all over Quebec last summer and to meet with farmers in my colleague's region. I can say one thing. Farmers are very happy with the national food security strategy. One way to make food more affordable for Canadian families is to do more processing here in Canada. We are investing $3.2 billion in the food supply chain in Quebec and across Canada.

Mr. Speaker, stakeholders across Canada are saying that this $3.2-billion strategy on food security will make food affordable for Canadians. There will be four key strategies. We will build local, regional infrastructure so that we have more options and more affordability. We will produce more. We will transform more of our own food here in Canada. We will create more jobs, and we will grow, all year long, fruits and vegetables.

Mr. Speaker, talking about seriousness, Canadians know we are in the middle of a global economic disruption. Our Prime Minister is a serious person. He is working hard. He already cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. He also launched the national school food program, which helps families with affordability. In addition, he proposed to launch very soon a national food security strategy, which will really help families during this time of crisis.

Mr. Speaker, the Mercosur agreement represents 300 million people and a $2.5-trillion economy. It is one of the largest markets in the world. However, we listened to our ranchers. We listened to our producers. We are listening to their concerns about the trade agreement. In fact, the study is going on at committee. We will continue to be there for our farmers because they work hard to put food on our tables.

Mr. Speaker, economic turmoil is making life more expensive for Canadians. That is why we can count on a Prime Minister who understands the gravity of the situation and is taking decisive action. In my constituency, as in my colleague's, many children go to school on an empty stomach. However, thanks to our school food program, school children in my riding and in my colleague's riding will be able to have a lunch. That is how we build a strong Canada, with both our heads and our hearts.

Madam Speaker, as we know, economic turmoil is making life more expensive for Canadians and Quebeckers. In the economic update, we are investing to develop a very important manufacturing sector in Canada. I am talking about the agri-food system. Following the superdeductions we announced in the last budget, we are now announcing a strategic Canada Strong fund that will allow us to invest in our agri-food system to produce more goods here in Canada and lower grocery prices. That is what building Canada is about.

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to state first of all that our farmers across the country are doing great work for Canada's food security, food autonomy and food sovereignty. Yes, reducing the price of gas will really help farmers, but we are not stopping there. We are there to support their innovation with a tax credit, a superdeduction that will help them modernize their facilities. We need to do a lot more here in Canada to process more and grow the sector, and we are there with farmers.

Mr. Speaker, it is very important. Across Canada, we heard farmers, and they want reduced red tape. I have good news for my colleague. We are doing that. The all-government effort is to reduce red tape, including in agri-food and in agriculture. In committee, we just worked on a report that has several recommendations for our government, and we will be acting upon it.

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about housing. I have met with the mayors in my riding. They are eagerly awaiting the historic investments in municipal infrastructure that we need to build more homes in Quebec. I urge my colleague to vote in favour of the budget implementation bill so we can distribute the funds that our municipalities need to build housing in Quebec.

Mr. Speaker, I will start by saying that our canola growers grow the best canola in the world. They are doing tremendous work. Yes, we have a great partnership, a renewed strategic partnership, with China to export canola. In fact, we know that Chinese importers have already secured 650,000 metric tons of Canadian canola, which is 25% of China's total import last year. The door is wide open now, and we will continue to engage in reaching a strong—

Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that the new partnership the government has secured with China is being implemented. We have orders, and in fact, orders have been placed. Commerce is resuming right now with China, so it is good news. I invite my colleague to come to us if he wants more detail, but commerce is resuming with China.

Mr. Speaker, I just answered and reassured my colleague that trade is resuming with China. I also want to highlight that the agriculture minister will be in Mexico next week opening even more of the market. We secured a market for meat, and now we want to expand these opportunities. We are not stopping there, because we have the best food in the world. The world wants our food, and we will make that possible.

Mr. Speaker, in this tragic week for our country, my heart is also with the people of Kitigan Zibi. The community is grieving the unimaginable loss of two of its children, a loss that every parent, every family and every member of this strong and deeply caring community feels today. To the people of Kitigan Zibi, I want to say this: They are not alone. We stand with them. We are mourning with them. I want to tell the victims' family and loved ones that our thoughts and prayers are with them as they start down this path of mourning, but also of healing. We walk with them. Meegwetch.

Mr. Speaker, the sudden loss of Franco Nuovo has shaken Quebec as a whole. Like many francophone listeners across Canada, I could count on his voice, his personality and his insights to set the tone for my Sunday mornings. He knew how to create unique moments by making radio a meeting place, a space for dialogue and exploration, but above all, for culture. His passing is an incredible loss for Quebec, which has lost not only one of its warmest voices, but also an extraordinary host, journalist, columnist and, most importantly, a passionate advocate for culture, engagement and the francophone community. For more than five decades, Franco informed, inspired and brought us together. We offer our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones, as well as to all those who loved him and listened to him faithfully. We share their grief.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for raising this important point in the context of the debate this evening. In my view, we do not talk about agriculture very often and yet agriculture is central to our economy, Canadians' lives and food security, as my colleague referred to. A country that does not feed its people is a country with few options, as our Prime Minister said so well. I would add that, today, the issue of food security is more important than ever. I am pleased to rise in the House and have the opportunity to speak to the proposed amendments to the plant breeders' rights regulations. I want to talk about the importance of plant breeders' rights in Canada and how they relate to the long-standing practice of saving seed for replanting. I also want to talk about the ongoing consultations with farmers, which my colleague spoke about earlier. The government remains steadfast in its support of our vibrant agricultural sector, which benefits Canadian farmers and our wider agri-food industry. A direct way we can support this sector is by modernizing our regulations, and the sector all across Canada is asking for that. The proposed amendments are designed to foster innovation in plant breeding and address key challenges such as climate resilience, crop yield and sustainable production. Plant breeders' rights are a vital form of intellectual property protection. They provide an incentive to plant breeders to invest time and money into creating new resilient plants, which we need. We want to help protect plant breeders' rights in the same way we are protecting other inventors and their creations. We know that our hard-working farmers face serious threats from increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather events, as well as other dangers that threaten crops and orchards. Our goal is to support them by reducing crop losses and improving innovation and productivity. We can achieve this by encouraging breeders to develop varieties that are resilient to climate change. That will help Canadian farmers adapt to the effects of climate change, offering options to fight drought, heat and disease, and I have a lot more I want to say. Last year, the CFIA held consultations and then published a “what we heard” report that indicated strong support. The report showed that 90% of the feedback received supported those amendments. The most recent consultation period is coming to an end, and we are now reviewing the new comments we have received, including those presented here by my colleague. This will be completed in the coming weeks. That said, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. We remain fully available to all Canadians who may have concerns about this issue. Consultations are still ongoing.