1. In this act, unless inconsistent with the context, the following expressions and words mean or designate:(a) “agriculture” : the cultivation of the soil or the raising of livestock;
(b) “farm operator” : any physical person whose principal occupation is agriculture;
(c) “farmer” : a farm operator who is the owner or lessee of a farm; it also designates, in the case of undivided ownership of a farm, several physical persons provided that among them there are one or more farm operators holding at least sixty per cent of the rights of ownership in such farm;
(d) “aspiring farmer” : any physical person not less than eighteen nor more than forty years of age who, being the owner or lessee of a farm, practises farming without making it his principal occupation and undertakes to make it his principal occupation within the delays and according to the conditions fixed by regulation;
(e) “farm” : any immoveable operated or to be operated within a reasonable delay for agricultural purposes; it also designates any other immoveable which, in the opinion of the Bureau, may reasonably be considered as forming part of a farm in respect of which a loan may be granted;
(f) “economic farm” : any farm which, taking into account all of its resources, is capable of producing a revenue which enables the operator thereof to pay the operating costs thereof, including maintenance and depreciation, to fulfil his obligations and to support his family adequately;
(g) “pledged property” : the property determined by regulation, which is the object of a pledge of agricultural property under paragraph e of section 11;
(h) “agricultural operations corporation” : a corporation constituted under the Companies Act (chapter C-38) whose principal object and principal activity are the operation of an economic farm of which it is the owner or lessee, provided that all of its shareholders are physical persons and at least sixty per cent of the issued shares of each class are owned by farm operators among whom the principal occupation of the majority is the operation of such farm;
(i) “agricultural operations cooperative” : an agricultural cooperative association established under the Act respecting cooperative agricultural associations (chapter S-24) or a cooperative association established under the Cooperative Associations Act (chapter A-24), having as its main object and principal activity the operation of an economic farm of which it is the owner or lessee, provided that all of its shareholder-producers or all of its members, as the case may be, are physical persons, that at least sixty per cent of the issued ordinary shares or of the common shares, as the case may be, are owned by farm operators and that the majority of its shareholder-producers or members, as the case may be, are farm operators among whom the principal occupation of the majority is the operation of such farm;
(j) “agricultural operations partnership” : a partnership within the meaning of the Civil Code whose principal object is the joint operation of an economic farm, of which it is the owner or lessee, constituted by a written contract in accordance with the regulations, composed of physical persons and in which at least sixty per cent of the interests are owned by farm operators among whom the principal occupation of the majority is the operation of such farm; this expression also designates several physical persons who are the undivided owners of an economic farm when at least sixty per cent of the property rights in such farm are held by farm operators among whom the principal occupation of the majority is the operation of such farm, each of such persons being considered as a partner for the purposes of this act;
(k) “Bureau” : the Office du crédit agricole du Québec;
(l) “loan” (prêt): a loan made by the Bureau under this act;
(m) “borrower” : a farmer, aspiring farmer, agricultural operations cooperative, agricultural operations corporation or agricultural operations partnership to whom or which a loan is made, and joint borrowers;
(n) “joint borrowers” : several physical persons to whom a loan is granted jointly, who jointly operate an economic farm constituted of the aggregate of the farms of which they are the owners or lessees while sharing, according to the proportions determined among them, the income from the aggregate of such farms, provided that at least sixty per cent of the aggregate of the interests in such farm are owned by one or a number of farmers;
(o) “regulation” : any regulation made under this act;
(p) “Minister” : the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.