§ 39. Mr. de Freitasasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will introduce legislation on the lines of the recent Canadian Crop Insurance Act, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Lincoln.
§ Mr. HareAccording to the report the hon. Member has sent me, the Canadian Government may now make grants and loans toward the cost of crop insurance schemes run by Provincial Governments. Conditions in our two respective countries are very different, and the causes and extent of crop failures are not the same.
§ Mr. de FreitasIs the Minister aware that I and anybody who has been to 1630 Canada is well aware of that? Will he at least say that he is not against the principle of State insurance of crops on the lines of American and Canadian practice?
§ Mr. HareI would not go as far as giving the hon. Gentleman that assurance. Conditions vary so much more in this country than they do in Canada. The hon. Gentleman is no doubt aware that it is possible for farmers to insure their crops against failure, and that insurances of this kind are taken into account at the Annual Review.