OTTAWA – Ontario’s farm lobby has turned up the heat in its complaints that the federal Liberal government is practising benign, or perhaps not so benign, neglect toward Canada’s largest agricultural province.
They are accusing agriculture minister Ralph Goodale of favoring Western Canada and Quebec over Ontario.
“There is no doubt that he is a politician first and foremost,” said Terry Boland of the Ontario Corn Growers Association. “Ontario doesn’t seem to rate. That is clear.”
Although the corn producers group has been the most vocal Goodale critic, going so far as to suggest a Bloc Ontario political party in Parliament to give the province more clout, the discontent is more widespread.
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“From what I hear in the countryside, it is very widespread and consistent,” University of Guelph economist Larry Martin said. “You hear it all the time, from many commodities. They believe Goodale is indecisive and that he favors the West.”
Dave Alderman of the Ontario Wheat Board, chair of the Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council, recently wrote Goodale a highly critical letter, complaining that Ottawa is treating Ontario unfairly on the safety net issue.
The letter said Ontario farmers “strongly oppose” Ottawa’s positions in negotiations to end the Ontario Gross Revenue Insurance Plan.
“It is highly unfair for the government of Canada to demand the return of all unused federal funds out of the present $112 million surplus … when compared to the deal given Saskatchewan when it chose to quit GRIP in 1995,” he wrote.
Boland said Ontario discontent ranges from anger over the safety net negotiations to frustration over the lack of pesticide registration reform and Ottawa’s failure so far to guarantee Ontario access to government rail cars once they are sold.
Quebec targeted, too
The province’s farmers also believe that the West and Quebec get more money and benefits from Ottawa than does Ontario.
As one example, the corn producers note that Ontario will receive $28 million in federal ‘adaptation funds’ while Quebec will receive $40 million – “40 percent more for Quebec than Ontario, even though its agrifood sector is significantly smaller.”
Boland noted that cuts in the Agriculture Canada research budget have meant that research traditionally done in Ontario has been moved both west and to Quebec.
“I suppose these days, governments take from Peter to pay Paul and in this case, Peter in Ontario,” said the corn producer spokesperson. “Mr. Goodale is a consummate politician. He knows where his votes are and where the government priorities are.”
For his part, Goodale says he is perplexed by the criticisms.
He said he has supported Ontario interests, from the ethanol industry to proposing to make the cash advance system operate the same in both east and west.
“How do you make sure that every decimal and every cent equally balances out?” he asked. “What you have to do is make a sincere, honest effort to be fair to everybody … when you look at the record, there is a very equitable balance across the country.”
