Following are scenes from Quebec, the last refuge of the dying grand old Canadian tradition of farmer demonstrations and the political society where even yellow margarine can become a symbol of Quebec’s oppression within Canada. July 3, 10:30 a.m.: inside the Delta Hotel in historic Trois Rivieres, Canada’s agriculture ministers are settling in for their […] Read more
Stories by Barry Wilson
Ontario prepared to bring in right-to-farm bill
TROIS RIVIERES, Que. – The Ontario government has decided it’s time to give its provincial farmers, including those with proposals for intensive hog operations, some protection from the complaints of neighbors with sensitive noses. By autumn, it expects to have in force a law protecting “normal farming practices” from non-farm complaints. And it will have […] Read more
Environmental effort shouldered by farmers
As world leaders slunk before a United Nations podium last week to admit they have failed to meet the extravagant promises they made at the Earth Summit in Brazil five years ago, farmers were feeling anything but guilty about their environmental performance. Since the 1992 meeting, farmers have sharply cut their tillage practices and chemical […] Read more
Canada refuses to stop selling wheat to the U.S.
Americans angry about high levels of grain imports from Canada simply will have to get accustomed to them, a U.S. trade delegation was told during a meeting in Ottawa June 27. Close to the record 1.5 million tonnes are expected to flow south during the year and American politicians are under pressure from some grain […] Read more
Is Reform moderating its policy on wheat board?
In some farm lobby circles, the appointment of Peace River, B.C., MP Jay Hill as the new Reform party agriculture spokesman was taken as a good sign. Hill is seen as a moderate, not an ideological hardliner. “That’s the way I see it and I think that is good,” said Canadian Federation of Agriculture president […] Read more
Liberals will revive their endangered species bill
The federal Liberal government says it will move quickly to pass endangered species legislation that died in the old Parliament. Lobbyists, who believe the proposal does not offer enough protection and compensation to affected property owners, also are gearing up to renew their fight. And this time it appears the new Liberal government will be […] Read more
Reform’s ag critic promises open mind
Jay Hill, newly appointed Reform party agriculture spokesperson, says he brings flexibility and an open mind to his new parliamentary duties. He is urging the Liberal government to bring the same attitude to such contentious debates as reform of the Canadian Wheat Board. “This issue has deeply divided farmers and we have to resolve it,” […] Read more
Hog quarantine waived
The federal government is proposing to waive the 30-day quarantine requirement for hogs imported from American states certified to be pseudorabies-free. Government officials say it is safe. Hog industry officials say they support it as a way to avoid a charge of unfair trade practice against Canada. Critics, led by the National Farmers Union and […] Read more
Roads called linchpin in grain hauling wheel
The prairie grain hauling system is within a few years of breaking down unless governments intervene more decisively to rebuild and preserve roads, says the new Reform party transportation spokesperson in Parliament. Lee Morrison, re-elected MP from the huge Cypress Hills-Grasslands riding that takes in most of southwest Saskatchewan, said the answer lies in paying […] Read more
Quebec MP named junior ag minister
Rural Quebec, which increased its support of the federal Liberals in the last election, received an early instalment of its reward last week. Rookie Quebec MP Gilbert Normand, representing a Quebec City-area riding with a large farm population, was appointed a junior agriculture minister. The secretary of state (agriculture and agrifood, fisheries and oceans) will […] Read more
