After hosting a debate on agricultural issues featuring representatives of five federal political parties April 11, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture declared farmers the winner.
Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, Liberal Wayne Easter, New Democrat Pat Martin, Bloc Québécois candidate André Bellavance and rural Manitoba Green party candidate Kate Storey spent two hours answering questions from seven farmers across the country.
There were no knockout blows and opposition candidates spent much of the time ganging up on Ritz and the Conservative record, but each party used the time to make the main points of their agricultural platforms.
“The winner of the national agriculture debate held today in Ottawa and hosted by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is clearly the farmer,” said a CFA statement after the debate. “The panel’s answers to questions surrounding bankable business risk management programs, food safety, ecological goods and services, trade, young farmers and research and development will help farmers make an informed choice when they head to the polls May 2.”
The CFA-organized debate has become a tradition in recent election campaigns.
The most spirited exchanges in this year’s version came as opposition MPs sparred with Ritz over government support for the Canadian Wheat Board and supply management.
They warned that a majority Conservative government would dismantle both, and Martin said the government plans to use a World Trade Organization agreement to accomplish the deed.
He said the fact that the Conservatives refuse to rule out signing a WTO deal that includes cuts in supply management tariff protections and an end to state trading enterprise monopolies like the Canadian Wheat are proof of their intention.
“They want someone else to do their dirty work for them,” Martin charged.
Ritz responded that the Conservative government has been a strong supporter and defender of supply management, and while it opposes the CWB monopoly, its fate will be decided in Canada and not Geneva.
“We will decide that ourselves.”
He used a later portion of the debate to argue that all Conservatives want for prairie grain farmers is the same right to decide how to market their own product that all other Canadian farmers have.
“I can’t understand why you want to punish my farmers,” said Ritz.
Liberal Easter referred to earlier opposition to supply management protectionism by Reform MPs, including now-prime minister Stephen Harper, and he suggested that Conservative support for the system is just “political expediency” in search of votes.
“If the Canadian Wheat Board is taken down, supply management wouldn’t be far behind,” he said.
Although details differed, the Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats all said they would heed the CFA call for a national food and agriculture strategy to guide future policy.
And all parties agreed that farmers should be compensated for their contributions to environmental preservation and enhancement, although only the Liberals specifically promised an ecological goods and services program called for by the CFA.
To the displeasure of Ontario Federation of Agriculture representatives in the room, Ritz said Ottawa would not put federal dollars into provincially designed business risk management programs that widen the gap between provincial farm support levels and threaten to attract countervail actions on exports.
The OFA has been campaigning to win federal financial support for Ontario’s cost-of-production-based Risk Management Program. Opposition parties all have pledged support.
