Dejection and resignation marked prairie farm leaders’ reactions as news of a bigger Liberal government sank in.
Most said they had hoped for a result that would shake the Liberals into taking issues, including agriculture, seriously or produce another government that would.
But few seemed surprised at the result and most said they would try to work with the new government to alleviate farm problems.
Ray Bashutsky, president of the Saskatchewan Rally Group:
“The election has shut out Western Canada again. I don’t see much change in the federal government’s attitude to rural Saskatchewan.”
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He sighed and sounded tired when he considered what that will mean.
“We’re just going to have to work harder. I can see it’s going to be a similar uphill battle.”
Don Dewar, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers:
“They (the Liberals) got re-elected without mentioning agriculture. If every MP west of the Manitoba border got together to vote the government down, they couldn’t do it.”
But Dewar said there’s one silver lining to this election result: the re-election of Ralph Goodale, who he said has fought for farmers in reforming the Canadian Wheat Board and grain transportation.
“If we’re going to have a Liberal government, we’re fortunate Ralph Goodale is there.”
Sinclair Harrison, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities:
“I’d like to be optimistic, but since the numbers are about the same as before, it’s hard to be. I see it as a problem for Western Canada.”
Harrison said SARM’s new lobby office in Ottawa will have to work hard to make sure the government doesn’t ignore prairie farmers.
Marvin Wiens, president of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool:
“Farmers in Western Canada are not happy with Liberal agriculture policy. They’re voting against the government.”
He said results show farmers rejected the Liberal approach on farm income support and grain transportation reform. But because Ralph Goodale was re-elected, farmers will still have a prairie voice at the cabinet table.
“We hope our one Liberal cabinet minister takes forward the concerns of farmers.”
Kevin Archibald, past-president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association:
“It means a long winter of discontent. They were looking for a really big change. This is a rejection of everything Western Canadian farmers wanted.”
He said many farmers were hoping the Canadian Alliance would do much better, but above all what farmers wanted was a change in the status quo.
Another term with the same type of government has farmers already grumbling about western separation, he said.
Cory Ollikka, president of the National Farmers Union:
“I can’t think of any farmer I’ve talked to in the last month who could see a positive outcome to this election.”
Another term of a majority Liberal government means more intransigence and ignoring of prairie farm issues.
But a Canadian Alliance victory would have undermined farm support and the Canadian Wheat Board, he said.
So there wasn’t much hope for positive change during the campaign and the result gives none.
Albert Wagner, president of the Western Barley Growers Association:
“It means more of the same: a government that ignores western agriculture.”
He said that means the transportation standoff between the Canadian Wheat Board and the Western Grain Elevators Association will continue because the government has shown itself unwilling to fundamentally reform the grain transportation system.
“We’re just facing more of the same.”
