BRANDON, Man. – Harold Froese says it’s a small miracle 15 Manitoba farm groups have been united for over a year on transportation issues.
But he thinks a group of Manitoba MPs is trying to undermine the credibility of the Manitoba Coalition on Transportation Reform.
Last week, western diversification minister Jon Gerrard and seven Liberal MPs held the first of four meetings on what to do with almost $26 million earmarked for infrastructure.
Gerrard said the group will meet with all major agricultural groups and some individuals from all regions of the province. He will make a recommendation on the fund to agriculture minister Ralph Good-ale by the end of June.
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The money is part of the $300 million western grain transportation adjustment fund, announced the same time as the $1.6 billion Crow Benefit payout in February 1995.
Coalition members received invitations to the meetings as individuals, but Froese said the MPs don’t seem to want to hear about the consensus the coalition has reached.
As chair of Manitoba Egg Producers, Froese is invited to a June 8 meeting in Stonewall, which he said puts him in an awkward position.
“Everybody at the meeting knows that I’m chairperson of the coalition. So do I speak as an egg producer or as chair of the coalition?”
Froese said the coalition had already forwarded to Goodale its position on the infrastructure fund and the rest of Manitoba’s share of the money.
Roads are main concern
It wants the money to go toward roads. The coalition includes Keystone Agricultural Producers, livestock groups, all supply-managed commodity groups, forage groups, Manitoba Pool Elevators, special crop groups, Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association and the Union of Manitoba Municipalities.
Froese said the coalition examined all of Manitoba’s share of the $300 million, not just the infrastructure, when making its recommendations.
“Every individual commodity could easily find a use for the total amount of the money,” Froese said, adding he hopes the MPs don’t choose to dole it out in small amounts in attempts to satisfy all regions and groups.
Gerrard acknowledged the amount of money for infrastructure is not great. “We have to use it very wisely. We have to be all that more careful about how we use this.”
At the first session, MPs heard from groups wanting money for irrigation, research, infrastructure at Churchill, training, warehouses at Brandon airport, and improvements to a water treatment plant at Carman.
MP Marlene Cowling said she was surprised at the focus on irrigation, a practice not widely used in the northwest riding of Dauphin-Swan River that she represents.
“I’m not so sure that would be the thing that my constituents would want,” she said.
Saskatchewan will receive $84.6 million and Alberta gets $29 million for agricultural infrastructure under the same fund. The pro-vinces are close to an agreement with the federal government on spending the money for this fiscal year on roads.
Gerrard said those two provinces will not have consultations like Manitoba because Manitoba is more diverse and is affected more by the end of the Crow transportation subsidy.
