The national farm lobbies that have formed the backbone of opposition to government proposals for new farm safety net designs continue to denounce a so-called “third party” assessment of the government’s plan as incomplete and unconvincing.
But while one group vows to carry on the fight, another plans to move on to other issues, unhappily accepting defeat at the hands of a government determined to get its way.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture and its provincial affiliates vowed to continue the fight for design changes. They refuse to accept government demands that provinces sign on to get the program running and the five-year clock ticking before other farmer-friendly changes can be negotiated.
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“They (the government) expect us to believe that acceptable terms will be written into the new NISA (Net Income Stabilization Account) program,” Ontario Federation of Agriculture vice-president Bill Mailloux wrote last week in a message to OFA members. “This is not the way Canadian farmers want to do business, especially when we have seen repeated instances of dealing in bad faith by our federal government on this topic.”
Grain Growers of Canada, representing grain and oilseeds groups across the country, sent agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief a blunt letter April 30 denouncing the federal tactic and the third-party report.
“Many farmers will simply view the consultants’ report as a public relations exercise designed to sidetrack a discussion of farmers’ concerns rather than adequately address them,” wrote GGC president Ken Bee of Ontario. “Frankly, this may serve to widen the gap between farm leaders and governments instead of narrowing it.”
Elsewhere, Bee said that on some points, the consultants simply got it wrong.
But that may be one of the last salvos the GGC will fire in the APF war.
Ottawa-based executive director Cam Dahl said in an interview the lobby group is poised to concede the government will not compromise on fundamental points, so GGC will move beyond the APF debate.
“There comes a time when you are burning bridges rather than changing minds,” he said.
The group was formed in the late 1990s to fight for grain industry policies, including government financial compensation for the price-depressing impact of foreign subsidies and an end to the Canadian Wheat Board export marketing monopoly.
Instead, much of its energy during the past year has been absorbed by the fight over APF business risk management details.
Meanwhile, CFA members have shown little inclination to back off.