OTTAWA (Staff) – Reform MPs played on traditional east-west tensions as they condemned the Liberal decision to accept limits on Prairie grain shipments south.
“Once again, western interests got traded away for eastern interests,” said Reform trade spokesman Charlie Penson (Peace River).
A number of party agriculture representatives said the government accepted penalties against Prairie farmers in order to reduce American pressure on eastern-based supply management.
“There is a Quebec election on and they didn’t want this issue to become a campaign issue,” said Leon Benoit (Vegreville).
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And it was to appease the huge Ontario Liberal caucus that the Liberals won exemption from the cap for Ontario wheat, they said.
The Reformers said the government should have stood up to the Americans and retaliated if they hit Canadian wheat with a quota.
“If you’re not guilty, why quit?” said Kerpan. “You appear to admit guilt if you back off, and we’re not guilty of anything.”
The Reform attempt to create a region-against-region explanation was strongly denied by agriculture minister Ralph Goodale.
Goodale said there had been no tradeoffs and no connection between the wheat talks and American demands for greater access to Canadian dairy, egg and poultry markets.
He said he expects talks over supply management to pick up again later in the year.
Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Jack Wilkinson, a northern Ontario farmer, said there is no evidence of a tradeoff.
“I don’t think there was a deal to protect supply management and I fully expect the Americans to come after us in spades on supply management.”
