Newfoundland has become the first provincial fish to swim willingly into the agricultural policy framework net and federal Liberals are sounding triumphant.
May 12 was “a momentous day” for Newfoundland farmers, federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief and Newfoundland minister Gerry Byrne said when announcing the agreement.
Newfoundland is a minnow in the Canadian agricultural economy, accounting for just $85 million in market receipts this year, according to Agriculture Canada projections.
But at least the net was no longer completely empty after almost a year of federal-provincial negotiations. Vanclief predicted the Newfoundland signature would presage more provincial agreements.
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“I am confident we will be signing other implementation agreements with the remaining provinces soon,” he said.
The Newfoundland signing of implementation agreements on business risk management, environmental issues, food safety, science investment and training came during a week in which Quebec farm leader Laurent Pellerin predicted his province soon will sign at least the principles of the APF and Ontario announced its own “third party assessment” of APF risk management program impacts on Ontario that may lay the ground for Ontario’s signature.
From Toronto, Ontario agriculture minister Helen Johns said the province was not satisfied with a recent “third party” assessment completed for the federal government.
That study concluded APF proposals are superior to existing risk management programs.
Johns said in an interview she hired one of the authors of the federal report – George Morris Centre chief executive officer Larry Martin – to assess the impact of APF ideas on Ontario farmers. Ontario farm leaders support her choice.
Martin already has pronounced APF proposals to be a good deal for farmers.
Johns said his mandate from Ottawa was too narrow and Ontario is asking for a more open-ended assessment, limited only by the need to keep any new program within federal financial constraints.
“We are asking him to do an analysis to ensure Ontario farmers will be as well off as they were before,” Johns said in the interview.
One difference in terms of reference for the new Martin study is that the federal government insisted one of the criteria is that all farmers be treated equally. Martin used that as the hook to support elimination of provincial companion programs as a vehicle for inequality.
Ontario does not include that as one of the principles.
Ontario has been adamant that companion programs should be maintained to allow programs designed for local conditions while Ottawa wants to end federal funding over three years.
