PORTAGE la PRAIRIE, Man. – It took federal political leaders 119 minutes out of a scheduled 120-minute nationally televised election debate Oct. 2 to mention an agricultural issue.
It came during the closing statements when Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, in a glancing reference during a denunciation of Conservative bully tactics against opponents, referred to Conservative efforts to end the Canadian Wheat Board barley sales monopoly. 
“This is not the kind of leadership we need,” he said.
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Prime minister Stephen Harper responded.
“That’s why we have virtually every seat among rural western farmers,” he said. “They want the right to be able to market their own products while maintaining a strong Canadian Wheat Board. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Farm neighbours who gathered in Ian Wishart’s living room north of Portage to watch the debate reacted with skepticism.
“He thinks that’s why he wins seats out here,” said Rae Trimble-Olson. “Dream on. What really bothers me about Harper and why I won’t vote for him is his pathological obsession with ending the wheat board.”
In fact, these farmers who gathered to watch the debate Oct. 2 with Keystone Agricultural Producers president Wishart reflected a view heard across Manitoba last week.
In the province where farmer support for the CWB monopoly is highest, farmers on both sides of the monopoly question complained last week that they are uncomfortable with the government’s determination to end the barley monopoly by whatever rule changes are necessary.
“This should be a farmer issue to decide without government manipulation,” said Wishart.
But through the evening as these Manitoba farmers watched national political leaders exchange accusations and promises about green policies, carbon taxes and public transit investments, a theme developed, said the farmers.
“I really think what we saw tonight was an urban-rural thing,” said Diane McCallister. “They see Canada as a place with four big cities and rural was totally ignored. I’m sorry but public transit is not going to come to the end of my driveway to take me to the city.”
East versus West
Husband Basil McCallister saw it more as an east-west split with regular attacks on the oil industry and carbon polluters from opposition leaders.
“What isn’t recognized is that here in rural Manitoba, we are an aging population and we need to use carbon to get where we want to go, to do what we do,” he said.
Ed Rempel from Starbuck said he was surprised the leaders did not address energy costs more clearly and recognize that some regions are more energy dependent than others.
“It is shocking that they did not talk about fuel costs and transportation when fuel is now $5 a gallon,” he said.
When Liberal leader Dion talked about his carbon tax proposal as being “revenue neutral” because it would penalize polluters but cut taxes for green technology and middle to low-income taxpayers, Wishart said the “revenue neutral” promise was wishful thinking.
“It just isn’t balanced between rural and urban,” said the KAP president, a stronger proponent of paying farmers for the ecological goods and services they produce. “It is understood in rural Canada that it will not be neutral for us. There will be a net cost for sure.”
As the evening wound down, several of the farmers said they were surprised that food and food safety were not addressed by the leaders. Even as leaders trolled for urban votes, there is a food connection.
“This is a huge industry and urban voters need food and a food system they can rely on,” said Rempel.
“Why would it be under the radar screen?”
