Manitoba Reform MP Jake Hoeppner says he has won agreement from party leaders that agricultural issues will be raised more often in Parliament.
He said it was part of the price of convincing him to stay in caucus and not to carry out a threat to sit as an independent MP or to quit. He “almost certainly” will not run again.
“You know, it has frustrated a lot of us that we have such a hard time getting agricultural questions,” Hoeppner said in an interview Oct. 8. “I had a lot of support in caucus for this and I think we have progress.”
Read Also
Going beyond “Resistant” on crop seed labels
Variety resistance is getting more specific on crop disease pathogens, but that information must be conveyed in a way that actually helps producers make rotation decisions.
Hoeppner had threatened to quit last month because of a bad heart and orders from his doctor that he reduce his workload and stress.
He said the party would have to agree to reduce its internal bickering and to give agriculture more prominence in Question Period and Reform caucus priorities. Those were two aggravations.
“I don’t know why we have had such a hard time with this,” he said. “You know, for a lot of us, agriculture is what concerns our constituents. It is our bread and butter.”
On Oct. 9 in Question Period, four prairie Reform MPs asked questions about government plans to deal with farm income problems.
Trade critic Charlie Penson asked if the government would defend farmers against unfair competition from the heavily subsidized European Union.
Hoeppner and Saskatchewan’s Lee Morrison asked about government plans to reduce input costs, including user fees by the Canadian Grain Commission and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
“Will the government make a tiny little start at addressing the farm income crisis by ending the extortionist cost recovery programs?” asked Morrison.
The questions drew no news of government plans from agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief. But Hoeppner was smiling.
