Midway through the campaign for the Nov. 27 election, federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief is trying to convince the prime minister’s office the Liberals must announce an injection of funds into the farm safety net program.
So far, the prime minister has not approved the suggestion, preferring to make a vague promise that more funds will be there as needed.
Last week involved a series of conversations, proposals and counter-proposals between Vanclief, senior Agriculture Canada officials and Jean Pelletier, chief of staff to Jean ChrŽtien.
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Deputy agriculture minister Samy Watson also has been involved in the tense lobby efforts inside government.
“I told him (Pelletier) we could be proactive now or we could wait two or three weeks and be reactive or we could do nothing and see what happens,” Vanclief said in an interview. “My clear preference would be to be proactive.”
Vanclief is concerned vague Liberal promises of help if needed may not be enough in a campaign during which key rural seats in Ontario could mean the difference between majority and minority government.
“Farmers want to hear a commitment,” Vanclief said.
He has told Pelletier he wants to announce a commitment to add more money to the safety net system’s companion program.
It would put the provinces on the spot to come up with their own dollars to attract federal funds, and concentrate money in an area that allows provinces to design policies tailored to local needs. Ottawa pays 60 percent of companion program costs.
In Ontario, more money could lead to a longer term commitment to the market revenue insurance program, a revenue-guarantee program running out of money at the end of the fiscal year. Any funding boost to the companion program would be available to all provinces.
Work also continues inside the department to create a new funding program for farm environmental plans, although any announcement will have to wait until after the election. Detailed federal-provincial negotiations have not started.
Vanclief said his goal would be to have a program that included funds for the cost of environmental plans and improvements on all Canadian farms.
Farmers are doing their best to turn up the pressure.
Last week, Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities president Sinclair Harrison was in Ottawa lobbying for $1 billion for his province alone.
Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Bob Friesen joined him at the Oct. 30 news conference to insist the government support Canadian farmers to the same degree as Washington subsidizes American farmers. There are estimates that could cost at least $1.5 billion a year.
And this week in Ottawa, Ontario farmers will be demonstrating to demand a $300 million aid commitment to their province. They will be outside the National Arts Centre Nov. 9 as leaders of the national political parties take part inside in a televised leaders’ debate.
