During the mid-July, federal-provincial agriculture ministers’ meeting in Winnipeg, federal minister Lyle Vanclief said he was confident enough provinces would sign by autumn to get the new agricultural policy framework up and running.
It turns out that was more than political wishful thinking.
The Agriculture Canada bureaucracy has developed a research and communications strategy that assumes an autumn 2003 launch.
It includes a new name.
Trying to cash in on the popularity of the Net Income Stabilization Account program, Ottawa initially dubbed the program “new NISA”.
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federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
Critics complained it bore little resemblance to NISA and this was a blatant attempt at support by association.
Federal officials now say the new program will be called the Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization Program.
And funds have been set aside to promote the CAISP to farmers in an autumn blitz of advertising, industry and media briefings.
Thad Trefiak of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, co-chair of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said planning for the autumn 2003 APF launch has been under way for a while, despite political opposition from farm groups and some provinces trying to stop it unless changes are made.
“Planning has been full-steam ahead for more than a year since it was announced,” he said. “The new plan will be rolled out this fall no matter what.”
