Dear Mr. Martin: Listen to the West - WP editorial

A letter from western farmers and ranchers to Liberal MP Paul Martin.

Dear Mr. Martin:

While we westerners realize you have yet to be officially crowned the new leader of the Liberal party and the next prime minister of Canada, we believe it is a good time to offer a few hints on how to you can help us out.

First, book more visits to the Prairies than did the current prime minister and agriculture minister. You’d be welcome to visit more often and stay longer. Visiting a farm for a few minutes for a photo opportunity does not constitute a valid visit and does not impress us.

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We would appreciate a federal politician who takes the time to truly listen to our concerns and our ideas.

Learn about our problems, be more understanding and less condescending.

Don’t fly over our flooded fields and tell us you don’t need to get mud on your boots. Don’t stand in our drought-stricken fields and recommend more summerfallow. These methods do not win friends.

Listen to us and to our farm leaders, respect our opinions and evaluate whether farm programs designed by your agricultural bureaucrats will actually accomplish the goals as well as what they promise.

The agricultural policy framework may sound generous, but what is it really designed to do? Will it work? And where are the details?

As a successful business person yourself, would you sign a binding, five-year agreement without knowing the details of the plan?

Be brave enough to eliminate or fix government programs that don’t work.

And don’t be so tied to programs and policies that you rule out emergency disaster relief when it is needed.

When disasters happen, we’d be mighty grateful if you’d help us survive to grow the crops and animals to feed you and your family and the rest of Canada.

We would like you to defend Canadian farmers internationally. We’d like you to act firmly against repeated and groundless trade attacks from the United States and stand firm for us in international trade talks. We’re tired of being the perpetual boy scouts at the trade table who sacrifice farmer support at much greater levels than other countries.

And please don’t treat us like criminals because we raised valid concerns about the gun registration process and overspending. As a former finance minister, you surely understand the need for accountability when spending taxpayers’ dollars.

We’d like to talk to you about Kyoto, Roundup Ready wheat, supply management, commodity prices, the Canadian Wheat Board, money for agricultural research, user fees and so much more. Be prepared.

Mr. Martin, we hope you’ll follow these few simple hints to help the West. Respect, like votes, must be earned.