International Trade committee  Thank you for your question. It's clear that the goal of the system is to provide a quality product to Canadians. We're responding to the needs of Canadians. We also need to establish a needs-based production to avoid food waste, and not base production on export markets that all countries could aim for.

International Trade committee  As I said earlier, we see that governments are making more and more decisions in relation to climate change. As I said before, producers have growth opportunities in Canada. Long-term growth lowers Canadian production costs. We do production cost surveys every year, and our production has been stable for several years.

International Trade committee  Yes, they have. Quebec, in particular—a sector I know well—used to have over 12,000 farms. Now it has lost more than 30% of those farms. The entire Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region has been sidelined by the concessions set out in CETA. As for CUSMA, it has had repercussions on other regions of Canada, which now have to do something else to feed Canadians.

International Trade committee  We're on the cusp of these negotiations, which will start soon. We repeat: We want to feed Canadians. To do so, we're taking advantage of the three main pillars of the supply management system. Of course, the consumer has evolved. Sometimes we can export value-added products or products like protein concentrates or infant formula.

International Trade committee  Indeed, this is another worrying element. Earlier, we talked about export concessions and limits around the world. The U.S. has a say in every change in dairy policy made by the Canadian Dairy Commission. This is really peculiar for a sector as sustainable as ours.

International Trade committee  In Canada, the cheese sector is a source of pride. Still, CETA had some very big limits given the 17,500-tonne quota. Clearly, the CUSMA, which grants a quota of over 100,000 tonnes at maturity and growth over successive years, with a country that is a neighbour, represents a very significant market right.

International Trade committee  No. I would tell you that in the last three major free trade agreements, the one with the European Union, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, and the CUSMA, the dairy sector conceded nearly 9%. Given the 18% concessions we're being asked to make right now, it's clear that this model is at the limit of what's acceptable, which is why it's so important to defend Bill C‑282 to limit dairy sector concessions.

International Trade committee  It's obvious that, for us, this is a very important element. Bill C‑282 is in committee in the Senate right now, and we want it passed by the next federal election. It's vital for the Canadian dairy industry. As we said, and as Mr. Wiens also mentioned in his presentation, trade policies differ from country to country.

International Trade committee  Indeed. We can talk about the export cap. While the goal of the supply management system is to feed Canadians, we can look at options to export value-added products at Canadian prices. All agricultural sectors export around the world. Right now, all global exports are subject to thresholds.

International Trade committee  Exactly.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Wiens. Mr. Chair and esteemed members of the committee, thank you. I want to begin by acknowledging the support given by all parties to protect Canada's supply management system for many years. As you know, concessions have been made. Mr. Wiens alluded to this.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Perron. There has been talk of reducing tools. For us, a tool such as the one that allows someone to go to the production site, where our families, children and grandchildren work and where we are during the day, does not promote a balance in terms of mental health and animal welfare.

Agriculture committee  Thank you. In fact, our farms are not public spaces; they are our homes, the places where we raise our families. Obviously, it's very important for us to preserve this vocation. We need to strike a balance between fundamental rights and reasonable safety measures that protect the health, safety and welfare of animals and the people who work on farms and in the food supply chain.

Agriculture committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Wiens. Thank you, honourable committee members. Of course, Dairy Farmers of Canada, or DFC, agrees with parliamentarians when it comes to the fundamental rights of Canadian, including the right to express their views in public spaces. However, our farms are not public spaces.