It’s not shocking that Manitoba’s political parties are playing divide and conquer politics to win the provincial election this fall, says a hog farmer from Morris, Man.
Yet, the political games are especially frustrating when the party that traditionally supported the hog industry sacrifices farmers to gain votes in Winnipeg, said Rolf Penner, a hog and grain producer who usually backs the Progressive Conservatives.
In June, the Manitoba legislature passed the Save Lake Winnipeg Act, which according to the Manitoba Pork Council, bans the construction of new hog barns and barn expansions across the province in an attempt to reduce the amount of phosphorus flowing into the lake.
Hog producers and industry groups expected the governing NDP party to support the legislation. But some farmers like Penner were caught off guard when the opposition Tories also voted in favour of the legislation, which passed unanimously.
“It’s very disappointing to see because it was the Conservative government under (premier) Gary Filmon that really encouraged hog production,” Penner said. “Historically, the Conservatives have been friendly to the hog industry. What we’re seeing here seems to be an about face … just to score political points in Winnipeg.”
Although he didn’t say the Tories have abandoned farmers, Penner said the Conservatives are taking producers for granted.
In most provincial elections, the Tories easily win rural constituencies in southern Manitoba and will likely win those seats this fall when voters go to the polls Oct. 4.
Yet, the Tories’ political manoeuvrings will have an impact, Penner said.
“When the party you traditionally vote for doesn’t seem to be working in your favour, what do folks do?… They stay home…. That’s one of the risks the Conservatives face with this strategy. At some point you alienate your base and your base stays home. They don’t write the cheques and they don’t pound the signs in the ground.”
Cliff Graydon, the party’s MLA for Emerson and the PC agriculture critic, is one Tory who worries about the impact of the Save Lake Winnipeg Act.
In an agriculture blog in Manitoba, siemenssays.com, Graydon said in late August the legislation could encourage the construction of hog barns outside of Manitoba. For instance, the industry may build barns along the U.S. border in North Dakota, to avoid the strict regulations in Manitoba.
Graydon said the comments on the agriculture blog were accurate because there is a chance “there could be more development outside the province of Manitoba. There’s no question.”
Yet, the Tories’ support for the Save Lake Winnipeg Act doesn’t mean the party is abandoning the hog industry.
The PCs support a science based policy for Lake Winnipeg where everyone has a seat at the table, Graydon said.
“Hugh McFadyen has been clear in public, it’s been clear in the house and it’s been clear in our caucus…. We will be working with the scientists to find out how we can best achieve the goals that are necessary to keep our lake healthy.”
