Canada’s agriculture ministers have promised they will be able to meet their deadline for beginning the new non-business risk management programs under the Growing Forward policy framework.
The new programs, including environmental, food safety, innovation and renewal, were supposed to start April 1, but federal and provincial ministers had not completed the agreements on details and funding.
Six weeks ahead of the new deadline, funding and details of the new programs still have not been completed and published, although negotiations have been underway for two years.
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Last week, federal environment commissioner Scott Vaughan complained in a report to Parliament that uncertainty and lack of detail about the program transition caused problems. A plan negotiated and made public well in advance “would minimize program uptake delays and disruptions.”
However, after a federal-provincial minister’s meeting in Ottawa Feb. 9, federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz said the 2008-09 transition year to the new programs has worked well.
He said all provinces have promised to launch their new programs on time.
“Signatures, the bilateral agreements, are in hand and done, we’re at Treasury Boards and we’re ready to move forward April 1.”
Ritz said governments acted responsibly in negotiating details of the new programs.
“We mapped out ahead of time what it would take to get to a new program. We followed that game plan responsibly,” he said.
“I think the transition year went extremely well. I think producers are looking forward to the first full year of the Growing Forward suite starting April 1.”
Manitoba agriculture minister Rosann Wowchuk said while agreements will be signed close to the program start-up date, provinces should not have much problem getting the programs operating quickly.
“A lot of details have been worked out and I believe money will be available,” she said.
“The bilaterals will be signed before April 1. Some provinces are very close to getting Treasury Board approval to move forward. I believe everybody indicated it is their intention to sign them off before the end of the (fiscal) year (March 31).”
However, Vaughan said the uncertainty about details and timing of the transition has caused concerns.
“Stakeholders, delivery agents and the department managers expressed concern about the environment programs’ uncertainty, the extent of funding available and their ability to plan under such conditions.”
Ritz said more funds were found during the transition year when funding problems in some extended programs were discovered.
“No one went short.”
In fact, environmental farm plan programs in most provinces had to stop taking new applications last fall because the funds they had were fully subscribed.
