THERE have been some unusual politics being playing out behind the scenes of the government’s plans for cattle industry compensation.
Take, for example, the unannounced flight east several weeks ago of a batch of cattle industry leaders intent on convincing the federal Liberal government to take the sector crisis seriously and to find some compensation money.
The strange part of it was that they didn’t fly their jet to Ottawa to see prime minister Jean Chrétien.
They flew to Montreal where prime minister-in-waiting Paul Martin lives, and lobbied him for help. He wisely declined to intervene, presumably figuring that being an ally of Martin’s these days is not the way to get help out of the Chrétien Liberals.
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Still, Martin apparently left the industry leaders with the impression that he was sympathetic to their cause, a political technique the former finance minister has perfected over the past 13 years of campaigning for Chrétien’s job…. Leave everyone believing you would fix their problem if only your hands weren’t tied.
Of course, the Chrétien Liberals did eventually come through with an aid package announcement on June 17 and the weirdness continued. For the first time in living memory, a government minister actually understated the generosity of the government offer.
A somewhat uncomfortable looking agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief told reporters the value of the federal package was $190 million to compensate for losses suffered because of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy crisis.
“We’re putting up to $190 million of federal money, of new money,” he said. As an afterthought, he mentioned an additional $30 million for the packers.
Late the next day, when an official press release was issued, the value of the federal contribution was pegged at $276 million. It turns out the $190 million was the “net” federal contribution because the government expects this year’s aid will reduce next year’s support available through the new NISA program of the agricultural policy framework.
That would be like announcing a $500 million support package to the forestry sector, but noting immediately that it’s only really worth $380 million because some of that money will be taxed back.
That is not how government’s usually operate, low-balling their generosity.
So why was that Vanclief’s approach? Think of a four-letter word attached to the image of Toronto – SARS.
Vanclief didn’t want to upstage the government’s more tepid response to the SARS crisis in Ontario. In fact, it looked suspiciously like he had been told by Chrétien not to emphasize the depth of cattle sector help in case Ontario reacted badly.
The ruse did not work. Ontario reacted badly. Ontario Conservative politicians almost immediately complained that the 100 Ontario Liberal MPs in Ottawa were “grazing sheep” because they get so little for their province.
Enterprise minister Jim Flaherty said he complained to federal politicians that “Ontario seems to be at the bottom of the food chain” in federal eyes.
And health minister Tony Clement intoned that: “I wouldn’t like to draw the conclusion that the federal government is more interested in the cattle industry … than health care.”
He apparently had reached that conclusion despite Ottawa’s attempt to downplay its cattle industry support.
Strange times indeed.
