IF THE recent swell of government promises is any indication, a federal election is not far off. But even if the recent rash of largesse is only a run-up to public opinion polling, it reminds us of how important it is to avoid the distractions that such promises and counter promises can bring.
It is up to all rural voters to keep political parties focused on the issues that will help agriculture in the long term, with the ultimate goal being clear plans to improve farm incomes.
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To do so, rural voters should outline priorities to keep politicians on track and to help ensure choices are not overly weighted on election-style promises that can be forgotten weeks after an election.
While the needs of agriculture are diverse, voters might want to include a few key issues on their priority lists:
- A long-term sustainable, agriculture industry with profitable farmers should be Job 1 for our next federal government. Voters should demand that party leaders, members of Parliament and other candidates speak clearly about how they would bring this about.
- Farm support programs must be trade friendly and bankable. If a bank does not accept a future farm program payment as collateral for a loan, the program is unacceptable.
- Emergency farm aid must be separate from income stabilization programs.
- Biofuel is one of the fastest growing agricultural industries in decades. It needs a plan to ensure sustainable growth and to ensure farmers have opportunity to capitalize on that growth.
- Research is vital to ensure Canadian farmers stay competitive in the world marketplace. Rural voters should support policies that encourage research and development in Canada.
- Be clear about supply management. There has been division in the agriculture sector about whether the dairy, poultry and egg industries should keep their quota and protective tariff system, but there is little argument about its success. Supply managed industries have for decades been among the most profitable in agriculture.
- Canadian farmers deserve an aggressive defence against international trade challenges and aggressive pursuit of countries that inhibit the success of Canadian farmers through subsidies or other unfair trade policies.
- Ease regulatory red tape where possible, such as standardizing certain chemical registrations with the United States.
- Voters should support candidates and party leaders who understand agriculture and are able to talk on more than just the hot button issues.
While there are many other vital agricultural issues, what matters in the end is that farmers vote for the party they deem to have the best plan for making farming sustainable and profitable. Only through a clear needs assessment can we hope to cut through the election clamour and force politicians to talk on the issues we deem most important to agriculture.
Bruce Dyck, Terry Fries, Barb Glen, D’Arce McMillan and Ken Zacharias collaborate in the writing of Western Producer editorials.
