Michael Ignatieff is promising that a Liberal government would create a secretariat to represent rural interests in the federal government, reporting directly to the prime minister.
During a rural issues symposium in Guelph, Ont., the Liberal leader said he has become convinced that the existing system for dealing with rural issues in Ottawa does not work.
As many as 15 departments have a say in various aspects of rural policy, he said.
Although Ignatieff did not mention it, the existing rural secretariat is a low-key section of Agriculture Canada with little visibility or influence.
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He told the roundtable meeting organized by the party that issues in rural Canada range from agriculture and attracting and keeping health professionals to keeping post offices open and ensuring better broadband internet service.
“One thing I have become convinced about is that we need to have a focus in the federal government that brings together these elements in one secretariat that has access to the prime minister, so we need a rural secretariat in the Privy Council Office of Canada that reports directly to the prime minister,” he said Feb. 5.
After listening to more than two hours of complaints and proposals from various rural interests, Ignatieff also laid out broad principles of what he said would be the Liberal agricultural and rural policy in the next election.
“The commitments here are very clear with respect to a rural secretariat, with respect to a national food policy and with respect to a national strategy to get health service to all Canadians because at the end of the day, we are one country, we are one people,” he said. “It is how we share the experience of being one great country and one great people.”
During his remarks, the Liberal leader promised the party will campaign on creating a national food policy based on food sovereignty, food security and food safety.
“We’re not just here to talk about this,” he said.
“We’re going to do it. We haven’t got all the elements together yet, but we know this is a very big deal.”
He said the Liberals will support flexibility in farm support programs to reflect regional needs.
“We have to build income support and programs that give security to farmers, and these programs have to be built by farmers and with farmers and have the flexibility to deal with different regional conditions.”
It was not clear if that was a commitment to reintroducing federally co-funded provincial farm safety net programs, which was called for by an Ontario farm leader at the symposium and rejected by the Conservative government. It was a Liberal government that agreed in 2001 to end federal funding of province-specific safety net programs.
Ignatieff said a national food policy must deal with supporting agriculture and encouraging Canadians to eat healthier foods and develop a healthier diet.
As the Liberals were holding their rural meeting in Guelph, federal and provincial agriculture ministers were meeting in Toronto.
Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz began his response to the Liberal meeting by describing the party’s proposals as an old “laundry list” of ideas.
“The sacred cows are still the sacred cows.”
However, he said any proposals for better rural and agricultural policy will be analyzed for good ideas.
“Any work that’s done that furthers the interests of rural Canada is good solid constructive work,” he said.
“As the government we would seek to take a look at whatever they’re proposing in a very serious light. We always put farmers first. If they want to do that, we’ll work with them.”
