GERRY Ritz, Saskatchewan MP and Conservative agriculture critic, finds it all but impossible to pass up a clever rhetorical line or a vivid partisan image when pummeling the Liberals.
Monday was no exception as he did his best to discredit the Liberal $1 billion farm aid announcement, denouncing it as a pre-election photo opportunity.
Ritz drew laughs from fellow Conservatives when he referred to the television images of prime minister Paul Martin announcing the package at a Picture Butte, Alta., farm.
“I thought it was very fitting that when the prime minister stepped up to the mike to begin speaking, all the cattle behind him moved back,” he deadpanned. “They seemed to sense what was coming.”
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New Democrat critic Dick Proctor took a less critical stance. He praised the government for helping farmers, whatever the motive. And that’s the rub.
It would be na•ve to imagine that the Liberal election machine did not have some sway over the what, when and where of the announcement.
But it is difficult for opposition politicians to dismiss the help as meaningless just because it precedes an election call. Many will wonder if the Conservatives didn’t overplay their hand.
The industry and opposition have been calling for it, the need is there and the money is available from this year’s surplus.
It is fair game for the Conservatives to wonder why the money wasn’t announced earlier and why the announcement took on the appearance of a campaign rally.
It is more politically problematic when they leave the impression that the world would be better off without this politically tainted money. For the record, the Conservatives said the money is welcome but then found every argument available to suggest the Liberal action was inappropriate.
Of course, it was a highly political event, steeped in Liberal electoral dreams.
The timing was not coincidental, coming just two days after the Conservatives elected a leader and united a party, planned as it was just weeks from an expected election call and staged as it was near Lethbridge, deep inside Conservative country.
It is a riding coveted by the Liberals, where former Alberta Liberal leader Ken Nicol is something of a star candidate. He was joined by as many other Liberals as they could round up.
Naturally, the Liberals are hoping for electoral bounce. Why not? It is a political system, and few would argue that government spending should stop before an election.
Interestingly, the sparring over the credibility of the announcement also seeped into a discussion of the farm leaders on hand at Picture Butte to praise the government.
In the House of Commons March 22, finance minister Ralph Goodale noted that the president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the president of the Canada Beef Export Federation and the president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture were there. “They did not consider it a photo op. They appreciate the $1 billion.”
Ritz unloaded on them, noting CBEF president Ted Haney is a Liberal candidate and CFA president Bob Friesen tried to be one but lost the nomination. What would you expect “Liberal wannabes” to say about a Liberal announcement?
“These guys have tainted the organizations they lead,” said the Conservative MP. “They needn’t come to see me.”
