Biofuels offer tremendous potential for Canada’s environment, our economy, and our farm families. While opposition parties scramble to contort their policies to the headline of the day, I would like to set the record straight on this Government’s balanced and consistent biofuel goals.

Biofuels are an exciting opportunity for Canadian agriculture, but this Government is committed to working with farmers to do what they do best: grow food. Here is the bottom line: even when Canada reaches its biofuel goals, 95 per cent of Canadian cropland will continue to produce food.

This Government’s goal of 5 per cent renewable content in gasoline and 2 per cent renewable content in diesel is more balanced and achievable than those called for by opposition parties and other countries. By meeting Canada’s biofuel goals, we will make a real difference for our environment and future generations by taking the equivalent of almost one million cars off the road.

When it comes to technology, this Government is balancing both the present and the future by investing $500 million to develop the next generation of biofuels. Canadian researchers are delivering on those investments with ground-breaking technologies that can turn waste products such as straw and wood chips into cleaner-burning, renewable fuels.

Biofuels benefit the environment and Canadian farm families by providing a market in their own neighbourhoods where they can sell their crops for fair prices rather than watching shipping costs erode their profits. Those biofuel plants create job opportunities in our communities.

While increased demand for food in places such as China and India and crop failures in Australia are causing these commodities to rise, our Government is helping less fortunate people facing hunger in other countries as the second largest contributor to the United Nations World Food Program.

Even though the Liberals did not get it done for biofuels in 13 years, Liberal Ralph Goodale wants to unrealistically double Canada’s biofuel mandates and create a demand spike the industry cannot handle. Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter says Liberal leader Stephane Dion supports that irresponsible goal. On the other extreme, Nova Scotia Liberal Scott Brison wants to ignore biofuels because he does not believe in the potential biofuels offer our environment. The Liberals cannot get it done for biofuels because they cannot make priorities.

This Government understands the potential of biofuels and we are delivering a triple-win for Canada through balanced biofuel policies that are good for our environment, good for our farm families, and good for our economy.