Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Mr. Deputy Speaker, I have a statement for the House, copies for members of the opposition.

As you know, farmers in Manitoba, primarily in the western region, have been severely affected by unusually high amounts of rainfall this spring which has left their land, a significant portion of the province's crop land, unseedable. While every farmer understands the uncertainty of Mother Nature, the amount of rain this spring is far beyond what has occurred in recent memory and far beyond what the land was able to drain away. We in Manitoba are becoming accustomed to extremes in weather, but that does not mean their impact is any less severe or any easier to deal with.

The number of acres left unseeded means a reduction of income and livelihoods not only for farmers but for entire communities that rely on farming for their very survival. Mr. Deputy Speaker, this means we are facing a financial shortfall in the province of $250 million in economic activity, and that has serious implications for everyone in the province and for the sustainability of our continuing growth in that region.

With the deadline for seeding under crop insurance having passed, we are now in a better position to determine the severity of the crisis. By the end of the month we will have detailed reports back on unseeded acreage. For the moment, we are working on the basis of one and one-quarter million acres unable to be seeded. Let me also say that that is despite the best efforts of our farmers who not only have worked hard to get their own crop in but also have helped friends and neighbours plant theirs.

Last night, at a meeting in Brandon, we met with the representatives of the Rural Disaster Recovery Coalition made up of members from the Keystone Agricultural Producers, the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, Manitoba Chamber of Commerce, Brandon Chamber of Commerce, Brandon Economic Development Board, Manitoba Cattle Producers Association, Canada Association of Agri-Retailers and the Canada West Equipment Dealers Association to discuss an assistance package which we believe will provide a level of certainty and comfort to farmers and business people. We estimate the program will cost Manitoba taxpayers over $63 million if the federal government does not participate.

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Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have proposed a payment of $50 per unseeded acre, half of which would come from the AIDA program and the other half from the other provincial sources of which we hope the federal government will cost-share. For those producers who grow forage, we are proposing a $75-per-acre payment to re-establish the forage cover which has been washed away or rotted. The program also includes a $25-per-acre payment for unusable pasture and hay land and makes the Custom Seeding Program we announced earlier retroactive to June 1. We are basing the package on what was made available in 1997 to farmers in the Red River Valley and do not understand why the federal government would not be prepared to offer the same level of support as it did in the valley.

In addition to the programs I have already outlined, I have also instructed my ministers to approach the federal government to join in a comprehensive approach to addressing the problems similar to the joint federal-provincial agreement that was entered into in 1997. The program could include assistance for weed control, loss of applied fertilizer and chemicals, lost value of seed inventory, a Business Start Program, and an expansion to the existing DFA to provide assistance for seepage and mould.

We are acting now on our own because farmers unable to plant their crops need and deserve to know they will be able to pay their bills and support their families. We are trying to provide some level of comfort that the government is there to support them, and we will worry about obtaining federal commitments later. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan River): This issue has been before this House for some time now, and we continued to raise the issue in the House and encourage the government to bring forward some kind of announcement. Certainly we, last week, had discussions on a joint all-party committee looking for a collective agreement that would help farmers rather than look for ways to make this a political issue, but certainly when we have issues like this, such as the disaster that we are facing in the southwest part of the province and in other parts of the province, Manitobans have to pull together and ensure that in another part of the province families do not suffer because of nature's disaster that has struck them.

Over the past few weeks we have met with farmers, we have met with municipal people and farm organizations to talk about this particular issue and look for ways that we could find solutions to it. Certainly with the announcement that we have today of funding that will be offered to farmers, that gives some comfort to farmers. There is a lot more work that has to be done. Certainly the federal government has to recognize their responsibility in this situation rather than ignore it as they seem to be at this time, because the announcements that the federal government has made certainly are not going to get money into the pockets of farmers who are going to need it in the next few months.

We are pleased that the government responded to the calls to have the unseeded acreage program retroactive, because there were those farmers who were taking the initiative themselves to try to meet the deadlines and get their crop in prior to the announcement, and it is only fair that those be covered. As I say, there is still a lot of uncertainty and a lot of programs that were offered in the Red River Valley that are not available here, and we will continue to work with the government and offer our support in any way we can to ensure that Manitobans are treated fairly across the province, not have one standard for those that are in one particular flood and people who face another not have it addressed.

The one issue that I believe has to be addressed more thoroughly is the mental health supports for people who are facing these situations. Certainly there is some support in the offices that have been opened, but I believe the government could do much more and look at the suggestion that we have put forward to reinstate the rural stress line and give access to services to not only those people who are facing that particular crisis but in other parts of the province.

I believe in all of this we are ignoring the whole issue of low commodity prices and high input costs, which is another whole issue that government has to address. But in the short term, this will help, and then we have to look for much longer term solutions.