One of the longest federal election campaigns in modern Canadian history offers farmers a chance to demand a better deal from the next government, farm leaders said last week.
They are planning to use the opportunity.
At local and national all-candidates’ meetings, at political rallies and during private politician pitches for support, farmer voters are being urged to press their issues and to insist on firm political commitments.
“It is important that the politicians understand what we are facing and the policy changes that we need to respond,” said Dawson Creek, B.C., grain producer Jim Smolik, president of Grain Growers of Canada. “Trade will be an issue, there are issues with the Canadian Wheat Board and there is the need for more effective safety nets, including trade injury offset.”
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At the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, president Bob Friesen said CFA members will work hard to make sure campaigning politicians understand the need and are accountable for promises they make.
“I really think it behooves the parties to have a strong agricultural platform this time and to unapologetically talk about it,” he said in a Nov. 30 interview. “Farmers are having some of the worst years in a century. CFA was very disappointed at the silence of the parties in the last election on our issues. We do not intend to let them get away with it again.”
As it did during the 2004 election campaign, the CFA plans to organize an agricultural debate featuring agriculture minister Andy Mitchell and the agriculture critics for the competing parties.
Friesen said politicians running for office will be asked to pledge that they will support development of an “industry-driven farm policy,” insist that the next government support all of Canada’s agriculture interests in world trade talks, both domestic and export, and take steps to implement recommendations in the Easter report on the need to strengthen farmer market power.
(See Agriculture sought, page 2)
He said all parties will be pressed to commit to “public good” recognition for farmers who deliver such non-commodity products as clean environment and safe food, along with a commitment that farmers will not be expected to bear the cost of providing these “public goods.”
“I think it is absolutely critical that farmers be involved in this election to force politicians to take note,” said Friesen, a Manitoba hog and turkey producer.
Smolik said Nov. 30 that politicians are most susceptible to pressure when they are seeking public favour and Grain Growers members plan to take advantage of that.
“We will be setting up a strategy for dealing with the politicians, although I don’t plan to tip our hand yet,” he said.
“We have to make our point. It is a national debate. We have to make use of it.”
One issue Grain Growers members will be pressing is an organization proposal that government accept an obligation to compensate farmers for income loss because of trade injury.
GGC says compensation should be divided among provinces and sent to provincial governments where they and their farmer organizations would decide how best to distribute it.
It would be a return to federally supported provincial companion programs abolished three years ago when the agricultural policy framework took effect.
