Farmers across Canada want more certainty when it comes to costs, research and climate, among other factors, federal Conservatives say.
That message was delivered by Warren Steinley, associate shadow minister for agriculture, during a Nov. 7 webinar hosted by the Agri-Food Innovation Council.
The federal Tories have pinned their political hopes on moves like the “Axe the Tax” campaign and criticism of capital gains tax changes. Both issues have angered farmers.
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Here are five key points of the Conservative agriculture stance as presented by Steinley:
Simplify research programs
Steinley said it would be important to review programs under which farmers can apply for funding, a change recommended in the report from the House of Commons standing committee on sciences and research.
He cited Report Five, completed this year by independent auditors, which determined there was “potential for overlap among initiatives and the inefficient use of available funding and resources.”
“That was quite a damning report saying that, once this money has gone out the door, there’s not very much follow up and they’re not even sure if some of these programs are overlapping and trying to actually accomplish the same thing,” said Steinley.
“If the programs aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing, we … put that money into some of the programs that are doing the good work (that) needs to be done.”
Climate change funding
Current policy dictates that a minimum 30 per cent of AgriScience Cluster funds must be geared toward activities focused primarily on environment. Of those, 15 per cent must address greenhouse gas emissions.
“I think that’s (an) ideological position this government has,” Steinley said. “I believe there’s a lot of things that we have to tackle as a sector and it doesn’t all revolve around emissions.
“I think our producers have never gotten the credit they deserve for how much they’ve lowered their emissions. There’s always more that can be done, but there’s definitely, I think, an ability to fund other priorities, not just when it comes to emissions.”
He singled out consistent water supply in Western Canada as one of those other priorities.
“Producers of all types across the whole country, they just want some more certainty.”
Local food security
Steinley said food security would be “important to a future Conservative government” and tied the topic to previous points on water access.
“Irrigation is, like I said, a great way to provide certainty when it comes to water resources. That’s something farmers, fruit, vegetable farmers, everyone needs that certainty when it comes to water.”
Canada has continued to expand agri-food exports in international markets, but that should not preclude growth and security in local markets, he added.
“I don’t think they compete against each other. I think you can do both and do both better.”
Research and plant breeding
Adaptable plant varieties and research in the face of climate change will likely be a component of a Tory government’s ag policy, should the next election go in its favour.
“As we move forward, we need to be looking 10, 15, 20 years down the road to ensure that we do have the most effective variety of plants, whether it be fruits and vegetables, pulses (or) wheat,” Steinley said. “Continuing to invest in those priorities is something that would be important to me, something that we would champion.”
Post-secondary institutions should get funding to help drive that research, he added. He also confirmed support for the Agri-Science Program if reviews can demonstrate its efficiency.
He flagged what he says is too much red tape on the development of new wheat seed varieties.
“There has to be a middle ground there. We need to always … ensure that different developments of seed, when it comes to wheat, canola, any different seed development, looks like it’s a viable option to producers.”
Streamlining the PMRA
Steinley expressed interest in getting faster response from the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and discussed the possibility of moving it under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada rather than Health Canada.
“The question is, where does PMRA best fit in a governmental structure? And that’s the discussion that needs to be had.
“It does need to move quicker. I think that comes from the top. There needs to be quicker decisions being made. It’s never, never fun to give someone an answer that they don’t like, but an answer they don’t like is better than no answer at all.”
He did not offer details on a solution to PMRA delays.
“Every now and then, the best thing the government can do is just get out of the way and make sure the private sector gets their say and gets to develop it. But when help is needed, we should be there.”
