Canada’s 41st federal election is underway and candidates in rural ridings across the country will be debating competing visions for rural and agricultural policy.
The 29-month-old Conservative government fell March 25 in a Liberal-sponsored non-confidence motion, setting in motion an election campaign that likely will end in a May 2 vote.
While the Conservative platform may offer new policy proposals, the party mainly will campaign on its record of trade promotion, billions of dollars in business risk management payments in recent years and investments in agricultural innovation programs.
In a March 22 budget that died with the fall of the government, Conservatives promised a five-year, $100 million investment in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and a $50 million two-year investment in a new Agricultural Innovation Initiative. Both likely will be fleshed out as election promises.
The Liberals will be promising a rewrite of agricultural policy directed by farmers and promoting creation of a national food strategy.
New Democrats plan to campaign on supporting local food production and consumption, promoting the organic sector and opposing introduction of new genetically modified varieties without a market damage assessment.
And with a March 25 public opinion poll showing the Conservatives well in the lead as the election begins, opposition MPs insist this is a campaign to save the Canadian Wheat Board single desk.
“If the Conservatives get a majority, then the wheat board is gone,” NDP agriculture critic Alex Atamanenko said March 25. “That will be a key issue for us.”
Grain Growers of Canada quickly issued its election policy wish list, urging each party to commit to doubling agricultural research funding, avoid the temptation to simply promise more money for farm programs rather than strengthening the predictability and effectiveness of existing programs and making it possible for barley and wheat farmers to market outside the CWB.
Other farm groups will have their own wish lists as the campaign emerges.
Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter said a theme in rural Canada will be a debate about the role of government in helping farmers.
“From my perspective, this government claims to put farmers first but they’ve done anything but,” he said. “In this campaign, one thing I’ll be saying is that this government takes farmers for granted.”
Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz said the opposition will have to justify killing the government and the budget with its agricultural promises for an “unnecessary election.”
“All these budgetary items disappear, cease to exist until a government forms itself again, has a throne speech and a budget,” he said. “We’re going to lose months here, which is unfortunate as we rebuild the economy.”
The dissolution of Parliament also killed many parliamentary initiatives with implications for farmers, including legislation to implement free trade deals with Jordon and Panama, a Commons agriculture committee study of biotechnology and a promised Senate agriculture committee year-long hearing into agricultural research.
