Weary, angry and frustrated with their financial situation, about 1,000 farmers attending a rally here March 6 called for the resignations of federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief and Canadian Wheat Board minister Ralph Goodale.
Neither minister attended the rally.
“They don’t give a damn,” said the Wakaw, Sask., farmer who moved the motion.
No one voted against it.
The motion came after several hours of speeches, questions and discussion about farm finances, international subsidies and the loss of the Crow.
Organizers had hoped to fill the Regina Agridome with several thousand people to talk about the recently announced farm aid package and possible long-term solutions.
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But as a farmer from Kamsack, Sask., pointed out, there seem to be few answers.
“All I’ve heard are accusations and counter-accusations,” he said. “Is it little damned wonder that this place is empty like the rest of rural Saskatchewan?”
Organizer Lloyd Pletz of Balcarres said the aid package triggered a meltdown and that’s why farmers didn’t attend the rally.
“It’s rammed down our throats,” he said. “The majority of farmers have given up.”
He suggested a 10 percent food levy at the retail level as a long-term solution.
“I want that money to go from consumers into one farmer program,” Pletz said, adding that would be acceptable under trade rules.
There were some calls for an acreage-based payment instead of the income-based payment Vanclief announced two weeks ago.
“We need an acreage payment and we need it now,” said Dave Bailey from Glaslyn. “Saskatchewan needs $700 million this year to cover the loss of the Crow alone.”
Organizer Bob Thomas of Milestone reiterated a five-point plan put forward at an earlier rally in Bengough. It includes cutting all taxes on farm fuel, reintroducing the permanent cover program, reintroducing a program to help young farmers, revamping crop insurance from a production guarantee to an income guarantee and guaranteeing producers $10 per bushel on their first 10,000 bushels.
Thomas also noted the absence of representatives from either Vanclief or Goodale, who is a Regina MP.
“Ralph, you can run and hide but you can’t hide forever,” Thomas said.
NDP agriculture critic Dick Proctor said federal government MPs should have attended the rally.
Proctor said when Vanclief was answering questions in the House of Commons about the Agriculture Income Disaster Assistance program, he called it a great day for Canadian farmers.
“It’s such a great day that there’s nobody here to defend it,” he told reporters.
Vanclief did not attend because he was preparing for a trip to Japan. Goodale was in Washington, D.C.
Saskatchewan agriculture minister Eric Upshall handled most of the questions from the floor. He repeated his message that Saskatchewan can’t afford to compete with European and American treasuries.
He said Saskatchewan will pay $70 per capita to fund the new AIDA program, while each taxpayer in Ontario will only pay $4.
“That’s not fair. We must continue to argue that.”
But Ed Kram of Raymore told Upshall to stop blaming Ottawa. He said Saskatchewan is too cheap to pay its share.
“Really, you’re the guys that are being unfair,” Kram said.
For more information on the farm income program contact the website at www.agr.ca/aida
