OTTAWA — Agriculture minister Ralph Goodale said he will “insist” that the Farm Credit Corp. deal fairly with its farmer clients when they run into financial trouble.
But he refused to accept a Reform MP’s demand that he order a moratorium on FCC evictions.
As she raised the issue in the House of Commons, Jan Brown (Ref — Calgary Southeast) cited the example of a family being evicted from their New Liskeard, Ont. farm. She wanted Goodale to intervene.
The minister refused to discuss the case specifically but he offered a general direction to the crown corporation.
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“I will insist that the Farm Credit Corp. deal with all of its clients in a fair and balanced way, taking into account the legitimate rights and interests of the farmer clients involved and also taking into account the fiscal integrity of the corporation, which I am sure is important to the honorable member in the Reform Party,” he said.
Gun rules debate
A rural Saskatchewan Reform MP got nowhere in trying to convince the government that gun control rules unfairly hurt “responsible” gun owners.
Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton-Melville) complained in the House of Commons that gun controls hurt the law-abiding without deterring criminals. He said he attended a rally of more than 1,200 gun owners in Preeceville, Sask. who are “extremely upset with the government’s new gun control regulations.
“Could the minister explain how putting more controls on responsible gun owners better protects law-abiding citizens?”
Justice minister Allan Rock offered no apologies. He said gun controls are “in place today to ensure the safe use, storage and maintenance of firearms … to reflect that firearms are themselves inherently dangerous.”
While the government is planning to tighten controls on illegal gun imports and on criminal use of firearms, there will be no changes in existing gun control rules.
