The federal government’s legislation aimed at freeing up several billion dollars in loans and program advances for hog and beef producers became law Feb. 28, just three days after it was tabled in Parliament. 
The House of Commons passed the bill in little more than an hour late Feb. 25 after agriculture minister Gerry Ritz brought the bill to the House.
The Senate approved it in principle quickly Feb. 27. It was passed by a Senate committee in less than half an hour early Feb. 28 and given final reading and then royal assent into law late Feb 28.
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The legislation will make it easier for livestock producers to get program advances and loans that were promised by the government in December but were not available as quickly as the politicians promised.
This week’s passage of Bill C-44, which amends the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act, will authorize $50 million to reduce the hog breeding sow population by 10 percent and allow producers to get access to program advances of up to $400,000 with the first $100,000 interest free.
It will extend the payback period to a year from six months, allow the government to be a guarantor for the advance payments, ending private sector lender unease that they were losing their status as guaranteed lenders, and remove the threat that any program advances will be clawed back in payments from other programs.
Ritz told the Senate agriculture committee that quick passage of the bill will make it possible to get money out to livestock producers in March.
It will not save all hog farms but it will save those that can be saved, he said.
“The bill sends a signal that there is a future in the industry,” Ritz told the Senate committee hours before the bill received final approval and passage into law. “Anybody who is serious about staying in the industry will have the tools at their behest in order to make the financial sector back up a little bit.”
The legislation was effectively an admission by the Conservatives that a December announcement of aid to the sector did not translate into immediate help.
Opposition MPs, while criticizing the Conservatives for announcing phantom help in December and raising producer expectations of help, agreed to push the bill through the House the day it was tabled.
“It is amazing what the House of Commons can do when everybody agrees,” deputy speaker Bill Blaikie said at 11:10 pm Feb. 25 when the bill was approved.
At the Senate committee, Ritz said the money could start to flow in March if the Senate moved within a day.
He now has to go to Treasury Board for authorization to spend approximately $200 million in additional money to fund the sow cull program and the interest free portion of the cash advance.
“We are saying that we can roll it out in March,” he told senators. They quickly co-operated.
