Environment committee  Of course, food security is a priority. With climate change, we risk receiving fewer imports from countries that also have problems. This can be managed in all sorts of ways, including trade. At the moment, for example, we could put more emphasis on our local producers to help them, such as our dairy and beef farms, which have the highest environmental standards and much less impact on the environment than our neighbours in the United States, for example.

Environment committee  If there were a follow-up, it would help us a lot. When you apply for a permit, you sometimes have to deal with the municipal and provincial levels. This agency would have to be able to put it all together and process applications on a priority basis. Some of our producers have applied for water-taking permits, to create new ponds, but they've been waiting for an answer for two years.

Environment committee  I'm the coordinator of the ALUS program. We visit producers. We're not environmental inspectors, which makes it a little less scary for the growers who receive us on their land. We suggest different solutions depending on their needs, whether it's installing riparian buffer strips or windbreaks.

Environment committee  As far as I know, the federal government doesn't deal with the water issue in Quebec at all, or almost not at all. Water bodies are managed by the province...

Environment committee  Of course, ideally the federal government could help producers install irrigation basins; it could better manage the coherence between municipal and agricultural water supplies. In Laval, some producers are simply connected to the city's aqueduct network. The federal government could play a coordinating role in infrastructure to ensure that water system planning takes into account producers' access to water, or that infrastructure is planned so as not to affect groundwater quality.

Environment committee  I'll give you an example: the City of Mirabel's project to build a traffic circle. However, as it may encroach on federal territory, this complicates the situation and the city hasn't even tried to go any further. From what I understand, nothing is being done on this land. It's an example of land that belongs to the federal government, but has no particular vocation.

Environment committee  I think I may have moved. Sorry about that. All non-agricultural development in agricultural areas jeopardizes not only water quality, but also access to water. Urban development projects can affect groundwater and can cause water supply issues for local farmers. Currently, our area is home to numerous mineral claims, and farmers are very concerned.

Environment committee  Good afternoon. My name is Maria José Maezo, and I am an agri-environmental consultant at Fédération de l’UPA Outaouais-Laurentides. I am here on behalf of the farmers in my region, which encompasses the Outaouais, the Laurentians, Montreal and Laval. The region is home to 2,500 farms, 3,500 farmers and 3.3 million residents.