The federal budget that was tabled in Parliament last week contained little new money for agriculture but still drew praise from many farm groups.
The government was defeated in the House of Commons three days later, leaving the budget unap-proved, but its agricultural proposals will form a core part of the Conservative election campaign platform.
The proposals include:
• A five-year $100 million injection of funds into the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to pay for equipment and training for front line inspectors;
• A $50 million two-year investment in a new Agricultural Innovation Initiative that has yet to be defined. Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz told reporters it is a sequel to a $31 million New Opportunities for Agriculture program that expires March 31. Many farm leaders saw it as a commitment to research;
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• A total of $24 million over two years to extend the campaign to control hog sector diseases, although budget background papers also indicate that $24 million allocated to the Canadian Swine Health Board for this year will revert to the government because it was not used;
• The battle against plum pox was to receive a $17 million five-year extension. Funding was supposed to end March 31.
The budget also promoted government free trade deals with a particular emphasis on India.
As well, it offered tax breaks for small businesses hiring staff to expand.
Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Ron Bonnet said that could be helpful for farmers.
In a March 23 news conference on the budget, Ritz complained that the opposition’s decision to force an election before the budget is approved puts all those promises in jeopardy.
“All of 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.”
Ritz echoed the Conservative campaign theme that if the election returns another minority Parliament, opposition parties would form a coalition government and those Conservative proposals would likely never see the light of day.
Opposition critics dismissed the budgetary agricultural items as small potatoes.
British Columbia New Democrat Alex Atamanenko said the budget does nothing to move toward a national food strategy, support local food production and improve farm income support programs.
“All in all, what is clearly indicated in this budget is that the Conservatives are determined to stay the course with the same failed policies and lack of vision that will ensure the number of family farms in Canada will continued to decline,” he said in a statement reacting to the budget.
Most farm leaders were more generous.
Trade oriented farm leaders praised finance minister Jim Flaherty for emphasizing bilateral trade deals because a World Trade Organization deal is uncertain.
Richard Phillips, executive director of Grain Growers of Canada, said the particular attention to a trade deal with India was welcome.
“This is a huge potential market for us.”
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Dairy Farmers of Canada and the Canola Council of Canada liked the $50 million commitment to research and innovation as a boost for industry progress.
Bonnet said he appreciated that agriculture was recognized in the budget but had hoped for more investment in research.
And he worried that the department budget has fallen from a 2004- 08 average of $4.5 billion to less than $3 billion projected. As well, projections for this year are for more spending declines.
“While fiscal restraint is necessary in this time of significant deficits, the CFA reiterates that the budget should not be balanced on the backs of farmers,” he said.
