OTTAWA – Quebec farmers are treated fairly by the federal government, federal agriculture minister Ralph Goodale told members of Quebec’s powerful farm lobby recently.
But he also pledged as much flexibility as possible to allow Quebec and other provinces to respond to “regional realities.”
“I know the UPA (Union des Producteurs Agricoles) is concerned about equity, about fairness in the way in which governments deal with issues and with people,” Goodale said in a Dec. 6 speech to the UPA annual meeting in Montreal.
“I share your concern. As a minister with national responsibilities, fairness and equity are my constant preoccupation.”
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Goodale appeared before the assembly at a time when UPA leaders like president Laurent Pellerin have been suggesting the farm union will become more aggressive in its support of Quebec power.
After the narrow federalist win in the Oct. 30 referendum on separation, Pellerin said Ottawa should understand that federalism is on trial and in agriculture, many Quebecers believe the federal government favors the West over Quebec.
He also has said the majority of Quebec farmers likely voted for Quebec separation, in part believing that supply management, which is a multi-billion dollar benefit to Quebec dairy, poultry and egg farmers, would continue even if Quebec left Canada.
Goodale tackled both issues head-on.
He said Ottawa does not have policies that favor one region over another.
Instead, it has national policies that benefit some regions more than others, depending on their crop mix.
Grain supports benefit prairie farmers more while supply management is mainly a benefit to eastern Canada.
“The vast majority of our programs are national in scope but they impact in different regions in different ways because agricultural production is not uniformly the same across the land,” said Goodale.
Sensitive and flexible
The federal minister made a pledge to be more sensitive to regional issues and to work with the provincial governments and farm groups to be more flexible and sensitive to their needs.
But he did slip in one reference which could be taken as a comment on the Quebec view that in the event of Canada’s break-up, supply management between Canada and Quebec in dairy would continue.
“It (supply management) cannot work across an international boundary,” said Goodale.
