Representatives of Ontario and Quebec grain and oilseed producers pleaded with MPs to recommend returning to federal co-funding of provincial farm support programs.
They were met with support from opposition MPs and stony resistance from governing Conservatives.
After more than an hour of heated and rancorous debate Nov. 19, the opposition majority on the Commons agriculture committee approved a motion that Ottawa include business risk management funding in its $500 million Agriculture Flexibility Program.
Conservative MPs opposed the proposal, arguing it is too vague, could lead to interprovincial inequalities and carries no estimate of cost.
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The issue was raised at the committee Nov. 17 when representatives of the Ontario-Quebec Grain Farmers’ Coalition said if Ottawa does not resume co-funding provincial support programs such as the Ontario Risk Management Program, they will die.
Once, there was an “agri-flex” federal program that offered 60 federal dollars for every 40 provincial dollars used to fund provincial-specific business risk management programs.
Agri-flex did not survive the last Liberal government but in the face of farmer pressure, the Conservatives promised in the 2008 election campaign an “agriculture flexibility” fund to deal with regional or provincial priorities.
The Conservatives and Liberals both promised “agri-flex” but in government, the Conservatives produced a plan that excludes farm aid programs and concentrates on non-BRM programs, such as environmental spending and loans to regional packers.
William Van Tassel, a Quebec grain farmer and president of the OQGFC, said the Conservative program is not what farmers thought they were being promised.
As a result, an Ontario risk management program that sets a minimum price for grain and oilseed crops and is funded by farmer premiums and Ontario will end unless Ottawa contributes its traditional 60 percent of government costs.
“AgriFlex is a program without flexibility,” he told MPs. Farmers thought all four political parties were committed to it “but it didn’t come out as we thought.”
But Pierre Lemieux, parliamentary secretary to agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, threw cold water on any proposal to resurrect federal co-funding of province-specific business risk management subsidy programs.
The Conservative government talked to farmers about what AgriFlex should look like and all agreed it should improve competitiveness and “look forward”, he said.
“So BRM programs don’t enhance competitiveness,” said Lemieux. “They help farmers in difficult times. We need programs that look forward as well.”
