The federal government has signaled that it soon will announce a package of policies aimed at helping new farmers get into the business and succeed.
On Dec. 8, revenue minister and minister of state for agriculture Jean-Pierre Blackburn announced that his series of consultation sessions with young farmers across the country has been completed and he is preparing to act.
“Now that the tour is over, I plan to review our discussions in depth in order to develop in the near future an action plan that responds to the issues that were raised and that can help young people who are part of farm succession to shape the future of agriculture in Canada in a sustainable way,” he said in a statement.
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It is the kind of announcement opposition MPs on the House of Commons agriculture committee have feared.
The committee has decided to begin hearings into issues affecting young farmers when Parliament resumes work in February. It plans weeks of hearings with a report not likely until spring.
When the proposal by Conservative Bev Shipley for hearings on “government and industry initiatives around the future of farming primarily focusing on young farmers and their involvement in agriculture” was debated at committee in mid-November, opposition MPs said they were reluctant to agree because Blackburn and the government could blindside the committee by announcing policy before the committee finished its work.
In the end, all MPs voted to hold the hearings into issues affecting young farmers despite Blackburn’s national consultation that took him to Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
Blackburn now appears ready to produce a report in early 2010 with his own recommendations, irrespective of evidence presented to the committee and eventual recommendations from the committee.
During the mid-November committee debate on Shipley’s motion, Bloc Québécois agriculture critic André Bellavance said the committee should be put on hold until the government announces its proposals.
Then, the committee could question witnesses about whether the government proposals are adequate.
Blackburn’s announcement last week suggested the government will act when it is ready, whatever the committee does.
