Lonnie Patterson may be the only non-politician in Canada who has read the entire Senate report on halting rural poverty.
Patterson, who is working toward a master’s degree in rural development at Brandon University, acknowledged that it is unusual to read a 408-page document from the Senate. But it had to be done to satisfy her passion for rural Canada, she said.
“I was born and raised in Wawanesa, (Man.,) and I’ve always thought that I received so many opportunities growing up in a rural community,” said Patterson.
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She spoke at Ag Days in Brandon recently and presented highlights of the comprehensive Senate report, which was released in June.
“I just really support rural communities and rural lifestyle. I think they’re an important part of our province and our country,” said Patterson, who appears to have a passion for rural issues.
During an interview after Ag Days, Patterson leaned forward, stared intently at her listener and rarely touched her coffee as she provided a 10-minute summary of the report.
“It has valuable information for communities that want to know about various rural issues. It’s laid out in 15 chapters on … agriculture, forestry, tourism, the income gap, education …. It’s very thorough.”
The only problem with the report, she said, is that no one is paying attention.
“It barely got a hit (in the media),” she said. “It’s frustrating for a lot of people who have been engaged (with this issue) … to try and move things forward.”
Despite the disinterest, one of the report’s 68 recommendations she particularly likes is that there are no easy solutions.
“There is no silver bullet and that’s actually what they say,” she said.
One of the more concrete recommendations in the report, which was chaired by senator Joyce Fairburn of Lethbridge, is to establish a federal department of rural affairs.
“Canada has had a department like that in the past,” said Patterson, adding there is a rural secretariat within Agriculture Canada. “The recommendation was to expand that role into an entire ministry, so you have a cabinet minister at the table.”
Bob Annis, director of the Rural Development Institute at Brandon University, concurred that a unified ministry would give rural issues a needed push.
As an example of the lack of rural influence in Ottawa, Annis pointed to the federal program that provides financial assistance for urban transit.
“That’s wonderful. But if you’re living in Melita or Deloraine or Souris and there are no buses, you can’t get a free bus pass. So how do you get about?” he asked.
Solving those kinds of transportation problems also requires a unified movement, Annis added.
“Rural Canada doesn’t have a strong rural voice to advocate for its own concerns,” he said, noting that lobbies tend to fragment into agriculture, forestry, fishing and other industries.
“If agriculture is in a bad way, that certainly impacts on rural poverty. But there is rural poverty in many other corners.”
Patterson agreed with Annis’ assessment of a need for a more cohesive lobby.
