Ron Bonnett, newly elected president of the powerful Ontario Federation
of Agriculture, can only marvel at the political dust-up that has
developed between two Ontario politicians who say they are acting for
the same farmers.
Ontario agriculture minister Helen Johns has become the most direct and
fierce provincial critic of federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief
over his plans to begin implementing a new national policy April 1.
Bonnett has no doubt where his sympathies lie.
“I believe minister Johns has it right,” he said in a Dec. 16
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interview. “This deal as it is being presented now would not be good
for Ontario. We need more time, we need more flexibility.”
He said he cannot understand Vanclief’s insistence that transition to
the new programs must begin April 1, 2003, even though all the details
about future programs will not be available to farmers. He cannot
understand the federal minister’s refusal to allow some federal funding
of provincial companion programs after three years, insisting that all
federal safety nets money will go to a new Net Income Stabilization
Accounts program and expanded crop insurance.
“I can’t understand what he’s got to gain by sticking so rigidly to the
idea of just these two programs,” said Bonnett. “They say cabinet
wanted to move to just two programs but you’d think cabinet would want
to move to something that worked for farmers.”
He said Ontario farmers are united in calling for an extension of at
least a year in existing programs so they can be sure the new ones are
better. Vanclief has refused the extension request.
On Dec. 6, after a federal-provincial meeting in Ottawa where she found
herself in a provincial minority of critics, Johns wrote to Vanclief
insisting that his plans would provide less money to Ontario farmers
and unnecessarily end provincial companion programs that farmers need.
