Mr. Speaker, we do not talk enough in the House about the agriculture and agri-food sector, and I am so thankful the member raised this important issue.
Our farmers and I echo what the member said. It is very important. They are at the end of the season. Some have experienced drought, extreme weather events, smoke and fires. It is a difficult time for farmers. They are resilient and great, and I think we should talk more about the success we have as a country in our food security thanks to the hard work they do.
As I was saying, we should talk about the agriculture industry a lot more because it is essential. It feeds not only Canadians, but the world at large with its exports. The agriculture and agri-food industry is Canada's largest manufacturing industry. It is one of the most important industries in terms of GDP and employment. That is what makes it essential.
Earlier, we were talking about the climate challenges our farmers are facing. We are fortunate to have the sustainable Canadian agricultural partnership with the provinces and territories, which invests $3.5 billion in key programs to help our farmers manage risk. They have access to risk management programs that provide protection against loss of income. My colleague mentioned drought, which is exactly the kind of thing these programs are designed for. These are key programs to which the federal government contributes 60%. These programs do not just address climate change. They also address trade turmoil, like the turbulence we are experiencing right now, which is not easy to navigate. China's tariffs are completely unwarranted.
I had the great honour in my career to be a tax treaty negotiator, but when we negotiated with China, it was under Stephen Harper's government. It is not easy, and we have to set the path. Our Prime Minister is very engaged with officials, with diplomats and with the premiers, with his parliamentary secretary and with the minister, and the channel is always open for discussion when the conditions are right. For sure, the China-Canada relationship is so important that, of course, the Prime Minister has a lot of occasions to meet in these international negotiations.
To support producers navigating significant risks, we have doubled the advance payment to help our farmers to manage those risks. I want to talk about the canola sector in particular. The advance payment has been doubled from $250 to $500 for this year so that it really helps the farmers weather this storm. I also want to talk about the AgriStability program. AgriStability is a very important program to help farmers diversify their portfolio as well as their exports.