In the moments following the end of the national agricultural issues debate in Ottawa June 8, a group of dairy farmers surrounded Conservative party candidate Gerry Ritz, earnestly promoting the benefits of supply management.
The Conservative party platform pledges to support the goals of supply management. But would he sign a declaration drawn up by supply managed commodity groups pledging support for the specific policies that prop up the system?
Absolutely, said the Saskatchewan MP. Bring it on. They did and he did.
“The only bright spot we’ve seen, if you take out the horticultural sector where they get more than one product a year, is supply managed,” Ritz had said earlier, during the debate. “We have to backstop that as a domestic policy.”
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Leo Bertoia, a Saskatchewan dairy farmer and past-president of Dairy Farmers of Canada, helped draw up the supply management declaration.
He noted after the encounter with Ritz that while the Conservatives have voiced support in the campaign, they have not had a policy convention to confirm that in writing.
The declaration pledges to defend existing border controls and over-quota tariffs, production controls and price-setting powers.
The incident illustrated that the Conservatives have rejected the traditional hostility to protectionist supply management shown by their Reform and Alliance predecessors.
Despite Liberal attempts to discredit this conversion on the road to Ottawa, some affected farmers appear impressed by the Conservative pledge.
An Ipsos-Reid public opinion poll of 1,000 farmers published last week indicated that supply managed farmers are moving to the Conservatives outside Quebec, where the majority support the Bloc Québecois.
The poll suggests 42 percent of dairy farmers plan to vote Conservative compared to 33 percent for the Liberals.
“The Liberals and Paul Martin are rapidly losing support among many farm groups, especially dairy producers,” said the polling firm’s analysis.
“Among decided farm voters, Liberal support is down 17 points with farmers that have a dairy operation (33 percent currently versus 50 percent in 2000).”
While the issue has most impact in Quebec and Ontario where supply management farms are concentrated, it is also being fought across the country including British Columbia and southeastern Manitoba.
Early in the campaign, incumbent Provencher Conservative MP Vic Toews sent a letter to his supply managed farmers promoting the system.
“At a time when agriculture continues to come under intense economic pressure, it is very apparent that the management of supply and control of prices of dairy, poultry and eggs is an important element in maintaining the economic strength of southeastern Manitoba,” Toews wrote.
