For a country engaged in agricultural trade skirmishes with the United States, Canadians last week were sounding oddly sympathetic to their American opponents.
Canadian politicians and farm leaders alike said they understand why American farmers are frustrated with low commodity prices.
The problem is they are mistaken in targeting Canada as the cause, they said.
“The Canadian situation is the same as the American situation,” agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief responded when asked how Canadian farmers are being affected by the northern plains border inspections of Canadian goods.
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“Prices of grains, beef and pork are at the lowest levels in over a decade so the political action of the American farmers not only hurt Canadian farmers but they also hurt themselves.”
Reform party trade critic Charlie Penson said the real problem is European Union subsidies.
“Rather than fighting each other, it would be much more constructive for the U.S. and Canada to work together to pressure the EU to lower their subsidies,” the Peace River MP said in a statement.
Saskatchewan agriculture minister Eric Upshall told a radio phone-in show that farmers in both countries are being hurt by European dumping and trade disputes between Canada and the U.S. won’t solve that problem.
Good intentions
“We know that the reasons laid out by governor Janklow are not legitimate, but we understand why he’s doing it,” he said, referring to stepped-up inspections in South Dakota. “The issue is farmers are hurting and how do we approach that.”
On Sept. 25 Manitoba farm leader Don Dewar joined the chorus.
While American blockade actions are inappropriate, the protests are “understandable,” said the president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, Manitoba’s main farm lobby group.
“The underlying issue that everyone seems to be ignoring is that farm incomes are the worst in many years and won’t be getting better for quite a while,” he said.
Dewar said despite their complaints, American farmers receive higher government subsidies and support than Canadian farmers. He said the border dispute has at least awakened Canadian politicians to the problems in the farm economy.
“Looking back at the level of activity over the past week regarding the issue of trade, it is too bad that we have not even had that same activity from our politicians over the past year regarding producer income supports.”
U.S. northern state farmers have been successful in mobilizing the support of their governments, even if the response is misguided and aimed at the wrong target, said the KAP president.
