The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canada’s largest farm lobby, says all parties campaigning for the federal election should include strong agriculture commitments as part of their platform.
“When Canadian farmers head to the polls May 2, they will be voting for the party that best reflects the needs of the agricultural sector and the opportunities in turning the sector into a world leader and a top place for investment,” CFA president Ron Bonnett said yesterday in an election statement.
On April 11, the federation will host a debate in Ottawa among party agricultural critics that includes agriculture minister Gerry Ritz.
And unlike the national leaders’ debate the following night when Green party leader Elizabeth May has been excluded by the television networks, Green agriculture critic Kate Storey, a Manitoba candidate, will be included.
While Conservative and New Democratic Party election platforms have yet to be made public, the CFA issued a set of demands that the Liberal Party platform largely addresses.
The CFA calls for:
- A National Food Strategy, promised by the Liberals.
- Farm group involvement in designing new farm programs. The Liberals promised to rewrite national farm policy in consultation with farmers.
- A substantial increase in agriculture research spending to return effective funding amounts to 1994 levels. The Liberals have promised more research investment.
- An Ecological Goods and Services program that allows farmers to get paid for their contributions to the environment. The Liberals promised an EGS program.
- Changes to Business Risk Management programs that include federal financial support for provincially designed BRM programs. The Liberals have promised to support provincial programs.
- A requirement that the government receive a list of potential candidates compiled by the 10 elected Canadian Wheat Board directors before it appoints the five CWB directors it has the right to appoint under the CWB Act.
- More federal government financial support for on-farm food safety initiatives that now are funded primarily by farmers.
Bonnett said 200,000 farm families are a major part of the rural voting base and they will carefully gauge how farmer friendly the various party platforms are.
Farmers must remain “competitive on the international stage while ensuring profitability at the farmgate,” he said in the CFA statement.
“Canadian farmers are entrepreneurs, constantly looking for ways to reduce costs and enhance productivity, but can only go so far when dealing with international markets. Proper allocation of funds and forward-thinking policies, such as support for the development of a comprehensive National Food Strategy, are needed from the federal government in order to help drive the agricultural industry ahead of the curve.”
