When Canadian Federation of Agriculture leaders appeared at the Senate agriculture committee recently to argue that federal promises of farm aid were too vague and delivery likely too slow to be of use this spring, the Liberal opposition was quick to ally itself with the farmer critics.
Vancouver Liberal Larry Campbell, who has an interest in a Saskatchewan grain farm, suggested the downward spiral in the farm economy is not being stemmed.
Former Liberal Prince Edward Island premier Catherine Callbeck said the government aid will be too slow to really help.
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CFA leaders responded that more detail is needed about Conservative farm aid plans and a greater commitment is required.
But they also were careful to note that the new Conservative government has offered significant help and that the CFA was not attacking the Conservatives.
“This isn’t about politics,” said CFA president Bob Friesen. “We’ll work with anybody.”
The political backdrop to the cautious comments was some CFA defensiveness and anger about a comment from the agriculture minister. Chuck Strahl had said that Friesen’s criticisms of the government and its budget promises may be more than they seem.
“He has a political agenda as well as a farm agenda and when he gets political, I’m less interested in what he has to say,” Strahl said after hearing critical CFA remarks about the federal budget.
On May 12, Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Ron Bonnett fired back the CFA response.
He took offence at the insinuation that Friesen pursued anything but a farmer agenda when he demanded details and requested a faster and more generous government response to the farm income crisis.
Bonnett, in a letter to Strahl, said Friesen has been a hard-working and effective representative of farmers who “deserves to be listened to and consulted on matters as significant as the recent budget announcement.”
Instead, the federal minister was questioning his motives.
“Such comments and attitudes are inappropriate and unproductive,” wrote the OFA president. “We strongly submit with respect you leave this unfortunate media agenda behind and provide the information rural Ontario and rural Canada desperately needs at the earliest possible date.”
Friesen’s direct response was that if Strahl does not like what the CFA is saying, it means he doesn’t like what farmers are saying, since the federation reflects the message it is receiving from farmers across the country.
