Few expect Manitoba’s April 19 election to be dominated by farm-specific issues, but farmers still have a lot at stake.
“Water management,” said Manitoba Beef Producers’ president Heinz Reimer when asked what sorts of issues his organization wants to see politicians address this campaign.
It’s a common and continuing concern for Manitoba farmers across the province, with all main production areas often suffering from floods, saturation and water damage.
Recent examples include spring flooding along rivers and waterways, massive rain-caused river flooding such as what was experienced along the Assiniboine River and chronic problems with poor drainage after heavy rain.
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Reimer said completing the outlet channel for Lake Manitoba is essential because farms near the lake have suffered significant damage from extreme water levels.
“We just want to make sure that our candidates stay committed to seeing this outlet project get completed,” said Reimer.
In 2014, the NDP government pledged almost half a billion dollars to build an outflow channel from the lake to reduce chronic flooding, especially when water from the Assiniboine is redirected into the lake via the Portage Diversion during floods.
Keystone Agricultural Producers is planning to highlight cutbacks to agriculture research and the plight of young farmers and call for continuing and increased support for farm-friendly environmental protection.
KAP will be trying to persuade parties and candidates to commit to reversing the shrinkage of agriculture research and development, which it says has seen Manitoba fall behind Saskatchewan.
Manitoba’s agriculture research and development spending has collapsed to less than half the amount it spent in 2007, the organization says.
Young farmers are finding it more difficult to get into the business, KAP says, and it wants to know how the parties and candidates would make it less daunting for them to get into the prohibitively expensive business.
With land prices and rents now sky-high, “one bad season could wipe a young farmer out,” says an upcoming KAP election opinion piece.
KAP wants safety net programs restored to pre-2013 levels and programs modified to help young farmers’ specific needs.
MBP also wants to see support for risk management with continued backing of the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program, which is still in the pilot stage.
All farmers rely on roads, bridges and other infrastructure provided by municipalities, and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities is trying to get a bigger share of taxes and infrastructure spending.
Its “Fair Share, Fair Say” campaign is trying to force politicians to fix a situation where municipalities are responsible for 60 percent of infrastructure but have control of only eight percent of tax revenue.
“This election, tell your candidates that your community deserves a fair share of tax dollars and a fair say in how they’re spent,” proclaims the campaign.
KAP will echo the concern about infrastructure, hoping the parties will commit to transportation system improvements and “digital infrastructure.”
Farmers at KAP meetings often complain about poor cellphone and internet service in many parts of the province. In today’s business environment, not being well-connected is becoming a greater risk to sophisticated farms.
