Open discussion Ted McMeekin earns praise from Canadian Federation of Agriculture for transparency on farm cuts
TORONTO — Ontario agriculture minister Ted McMeekin became an instant favourite among Canadian Federation of Agriculture leaders when he became the first minister to candidly discuss impending farm support cuts.
He told the summer meeting of CFA directors, including provincial presidents and national executive, that the federal and provincial ministers’ September meeting in Whitehorse appears poised to accept a version of a federal proposal that the trigger for AgriStability payments when farm incomes drop be reduced from 85 percent of historic margins to 70 percent.
McMeekin said ministers also will discuss a proposal that there be a cap on payments to individual farmers.
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“That’s what’s on the table,” said the Ontario minister.
He said British Columbia is proposing a hybrid variation of the Agri-Stability proposal being pushed by federal minister Gerry Ritz.
McMeekin said Ottawa’s first proposal to eliminate AgriStability was rejected by provinces and a second option of reducing the trigger even more drastically to a threshold of 50 percent of historic margins also was rejected by a majority of provinces.
He said the final federal fallback position is now the focus of discussion and analysis by officials and likely will be the version on the table when ministers meet to agree on principles of the next five-year farm policy plan.
McMeekin made it clear at the July 25 meeting that he thinks the proposal would sharply diminish needed government support for Ontario’s large farm sector.
CFA leaders praised him for his frankness and farm leaders from the other provinces said their ministers have not offered specifics and producers have not been privy to the cuts being discussed even though they will be the most affected.
“Thank you minister,” said CFA president Ron Bonnett. “We want to have assurance that before any changes are agreed, farmers have to be involved.”
In a later interview, McMeekin said he agrees with the need for more farmer involvement and the secrecy that has surrounded the more than two years of negotiations is one of the reasons he is the first minister to go public with details of the issues and numbers being debated.
He said Ottawa’s assumption, supported by some provinces, that current high farm commodity prices make this an opportune time to cut support programs is questionable because commodity prices will fluctuate.
