STONEWALL, Man. – Cattle producer, one-term MP and Conservative candidate James Bezan has heard the expectation of better days ahead from farmers in his Selkirk-Interlake riding.
Like other Conservative candidates across the country, he understands that long-supportive farmers will have high hopes for change if a Conservative government is elected Jan. 23.
“They have high hopes, no doubt about it,” he said Jan. 14. “But I think they also know we will go in and help them. They don’t expect us to fix it instantly but they do expect us to get to work on it.”
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Alberta’s Crowfoot Conservative candidate Kevin Sorenson, who set a Canadian high when he captured more than 80 percent of the vote in 2004, said farmers will cut a Conservative government some slack.
“There will be high expectations for sure, but I don’t think they will expect instant fixes or a silver bullet solution,” he said from campaign offices in Camrose, Alta. “I think we have to demonstrate that we will immediately start to work on the problem and I think they will appreciate that.”
According to public opinion pollster Curtis Johnson, vice-president of Ipsos Reid, it is a potential danger area for a new Conservative government. Farmers have supported the party and its ancestors for many elections, are unhappy with Liberal policies and expect Conservative action to end their dire straits.
“I think a Conservative government will have to act quickly to acknowledge the industry, its importance and its hurt, appoint a senior minister to the portfolio and then move to dampen expectations by starting to work but cautioning that the solutions won’t come quickly,” he said. “If they don’t manage those expectations, they could be feeling farmer disappointment fairly quickly.”
Conservative candidates across the country insist they understand farmer expectations but also do not think farmers expect quick solutions.
“We cannot fix everything overnight. There have been too many years of neglect and indifference to agriculture by the Liberals,” said agriculture critic and Ontario MP Diane Finley. “Should we form government, rest assured we will get to work on it right away. We’ve been consulting with a wide range of stakeholders including our provincial counterparts, so we can get a jump on the curve. It’s taken a long time to create these problems and it’s going to take a long time to dig us out, but at least we’ve got ideas and we won’t promise things we don’t deliver.”
Battlefords-Lloydminster candidate and Saskatchewan MP Gerry Ritz said the Conservatives will be dealing decisively with farmer needs and looking for support from the other parties.
