Paul Connors

Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador is strategically located to bolster Canada's defence strategy. Our new government is committed to spending 2% of GDP on defence this year and 5% by 2035. My question is very simple: Will Newfoundland and Labrador have an opportunity to play a role in the defence strategy?

Thank you. In Newfoundland, I think it's the Newfoundland and Labrador government that actually designs and does that.

Thank you very much for that.

Last year in Newfoundland and Labrador, we had a drought and it was significant. It impacted almost all commodities in our province. It was caused by climate change, of course. What action, if any, has the department taken to ensure that AgriRecovery can meet the increased demand for disasters caused by climate change?

Thank you. Thank you for coming out today to answer some of the questions about the BRM programs. My first question is on AgriInsurance. I think that's the largest BRM program available. Who's responsible for the design and delivery of the insurance plans in the respective provinces?

In 2024, the audit reported that the program's administration “was found to be efficient in only a few provinces”—I'm not so sure it was efficient in Newfoundland and Labrador—and recommended that the department “identify and address Program inefficiencies by facilitating collaboration between provinces to share promising design and delivery practices.” Has that been addressed in the various [more]

Another issue in our province would be under AgriStability and the whole-of-farm reference margins. Most of our farms are smaller farms and multicrop farms. If they have a good year in one crop, but it's offset by a bad year in another crop, AgriStability won't be used. Is there any thought to how we could address that for the smaller farms and multicrop farms?

You mentioned that some of these farms have off-farm income. That's usually because they need that to subsidize their farming income to survive. If they had the proper programs, they wouldn't have to have off-farm income. Thank you very much.

Minister, I also want to give you an opportunity to give an update on where we are for the recreational food fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador. We did the survey, and many recreational fishers are anxiously awaiting what the outcome will be.

I heard from recreational fishers in my area, and they would like to know as early as possible. I urge you to get it out as quickly as possible. Minister, you mentioned your visit to the Boston food show. I know you're working with other departments to open up markets around the world. Can you elaborate a little on how the work is going and what new markets will be opening up?

You mentioned that we need more investment in research. I want to talk about some of those institutes, such as the University of Calgary the University of Alberta, which are doing a lot of research in agriculture and agri-food. Do you think there's a way that we could do more with those centres?