Even as he warned that government spending will be tightened in the face of economic turmoil, prime minister Stephen Harper has made promises aimed at his rural support base.
An end to the long gun registry and rural internet infrastructure were among his promises for the new Parliament.
In a major speech Nov. 20 outlining plans for his new minority government, he reiterated support for supply management and determination to end the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly.
As he talked about the need to help failing sectors of the economy even if a deficit is necessary next year, Harper said the government would support what he called traditional industries.
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“For agriculture, we will invest in slaughterhouse capacity across Canada, maintain support for supply managed sectors and continue to champion marketing freedom for western Canadian grain farmers,” he said.
Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz later clarified that the prime minister was talking about barley, not both CWB grains.
Harper promised a return to the earlier commitment to abolish the gun registry, an issue the Conservatives did not push to a vote in the last minority Parliament.
“We will uphold our commitment to end the long gun registry, which is not only wasteful but has served to target law-abiding Canadians, especially rural Canadians, instead of dealing with gun crime.”
Harper said the government will act to narrow or eliminate the digital divide.
“We are working to complete Canada’s broadband internet network so Canadians in rural communities will have equal access to cyberspace.”
The prime minister also promised that along with implementing a new food safety plan, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will be given “the necessary personnel and resources to improve safety systems.”
However, at the core of Harper’s speech was the vow that in tough economic times, all departments will be told to hold spending to essentials, even as he said a campaign promise not to run a deficit will likely be broken so the government can stimulate the economy.
Ritz said there is no indication the promised spending restraint will affect Agriculture Canada’s ability to fund programs or to access the $500 million promised during the campaign to fund regionally designed programs over four years.
