The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has specific policy proposals to put to campaigning federal politicians, but it mainly wants political attention and respect for farmers.
“When Canadian farmers head to the polls May 2, they will be voting for the party that best reflects the needs of the agricultural sector and the opportunities in turning the sector into a world leader and a top place for investment,” CFA president Ron Bonnett said when the federation released its election wish list last week.
It includes giving food producers the attention they deserve, he said, and a promise that farmers will be asked by the next government to help design programs that work for them.
Read Also
Phosphate prices to remain high
Phosphate prices are expected to remain elevated, according to Mosaic’s president.
“Canadian farmers are entrepreneurs, constantly looking for ways to reduce costs and enhance productivity, but it can only go so far when dealing with international markets,” he said.
“Proper allocation of funds and forward-thinking policies such as support for the development of a comprehensive national food strategy are needed from the federal government in order to help drive the agricultural industry ahead of the curve.”
Federation demands include:
• development of a national food strategy, a promise made by various parties, although details are vague;
• improvements in the next Growing Forward policy framework set to take effect April 1, 2013. However, the CFA says short-term changes are necessary in the meantime to make the programs more “bankable and predictable.”
It includes federal funding support for provincially designed farm support programs that the Liberals have embraced and the Conservatives have rejected;
• an increase in funding for research and innovation to return the research budget to the same relative level it was before 1995 budget cuts under a previous Liberal government;
• creation of a “strong, well-funded” ecological goods and services program to compensate farmers for environmental practices that improve the environment;
• a requirement that Ottawa consider a list of qualified candidates drawn up by the 10 farmer-elected directors of the Canadian Wheat Board when it fills one of the government-appointed director positions.
However, the wording of the CFA position doesn’t make it clear if it is suggesting the federal government be required to pick from the list.
“Given the considerable controversy regarding the selection of government appointees to the board of directors of the CWB, the producer-elected board members must be allowed to provide a roster of names from which the government can select an appointment,” said the CFA position.
It is one part of the CFA election policy statement that Humphrey Banack wishes had been left out.
The president of Alberta’s Wild Rose Agricultural Producers (WRAP) and CFA second vice-president said the CWB is too divisive an issue for the broad-based farm lobby to wade into, although the CWB is a CFA member.
“I just think it’s a no-win issue for WRAP and frankly, a no-win for the CFA,” he said.
