1. In this act, unless the context indicates a different meaning, the following expressions and words mean or designate:(a) “agriculture” : cultivation of the soil to sell its produce or the raising of livestock for sale or for sale of their produce;
(b) “designated production” : agricultural production or a particular phase of agricultural production designated as such in the order in council decreeing a critical period for purposes of the application of this act;
(c) “designated area” : any part of the agricultural land of Québec designated as such in the order in council decreeing a critical period for the purposes of the application of this act;
(d) “critical period” : the period concomitant with or consecutive to a natural disaster which creates an emergency situation for a certain number of producers, the period during which an unforeseen and uncontrollable collapse in the selling prices of a designated production seriously affects a large number of producers or the period during which the discontinuance of a designated production in a designated area due to causes out of the control of the producers seriously affects some of them and that the Government acknowledges as such for the time that it indicates; the orders in council indicating the beginning and end of a period must be published in the Gazette officielle du Québec;
(e) “natural disaster” : major damage caused by certain elements or disturbances in nature, such as:i. droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, violent winds, earthquakes, landslides, electrical storms, excessive rains, floods, hail, frost, sleet and heavy snowstorms;
ii. uncontrollable fire of any origin;
iii. an insect plague beyond normal control seriously affecting a designated production; and
iv. plant and animal diseases, when their spread reaches epidemic proportions and seriously affects a designated production;
(f) “certificate” : a certificate issued by the Bureau under section 2 authorizing a producer to contract a loan with a lender;
(g) “issue date of a certificate” : the date shown on the certificate;
(h) “producer” : a person directly engaged on his own behalf in agriculture or in a designated production;
(i) “loan” : a loan contracted by a producer from a lender in accordance with this act, the regulations and, as the case may be, the certificate;
(j) “lender” : a bank within the meaning of the Bank Act (Statutes of Canada) or the Québec Savings Banks Act (Statutes of Canada) and a savings and credit union governed by the Savings and Credit Unions Act (chapter C-4);
(k) “Bureau” : the Office du crédit agricole du Québec;
(l) “regulation” : a regulation made under this act.