VETERAN farm leader and federal politician Wayne Easter well remembers the more dramatic confrontations between angry farmers and federal cabinet ministers.
He led some of them as president of the National Farmers Union. He has faced some of them as a Liberal MP, cabinet minister and member of government for more than a dozen years after 1993.
There was the time NFU members chased then-transport minister Jean-Luc Pepin through an Edmonton hotel during the Crow debate.
There was the 1993 moment when then agriculture minister Charlie Mayer faced a crowd of thousands in Saskatoon to listen to himself being denounced for not being able to come up with $1 billion.
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There was the day of near-violence in Prince Albert, Sask., during a speech by Lyle Vanclief, who later stood ashen-faced before angry Canadian Federation of Agriculture delegates in Ottawa to announce $500 million in aid when they expected $1 billion. And of course, there was the day thousands of farmers flooded Parliament Hill and all but shouted down then-minister Andy Mitchell as he tried to speak.
So what, wonders Easter, has happened to the farm lobby and its historic role of holding governments to account?
“I think they have become extremely timid in terms of challenging the government,” he groused after last week’s federal-provincial agriculture ministers’ meeting. “They just seem so afraid the minister will shut the door in their face that they play footsie to remain invited into the room.”
Easter cited the lack of strong prairie producer group demand that governments do more than say existing programs will handle the drought.
He cited the Canadian Pork Council’s meek decision to revise its proposal for aid through its worst crisis in 60 years to address agriculture minister Gerry Ritz’s concerns about a per-head payment.
Then there is the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s relationship with the government. Last year, as one of many Conservatives suspicious of the CFA because of Liberal ties, Ritz went to the federation’s annual meeting and bluntly told the country’s largest and sometimes feisty farm lobby that since they did not endorse the government’s determination to end the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly, CFA’s views on the issue did not matter.
There was a remarkably muted CFA response to the hard-line stance and since then, a determination to be non-confrontational, at least in public.
Last week, with few government commitments to point to, CFA issued a statement after a meeting with federal and provincial ministers praising them for their willingness to co-operate.
“The CFA was pleased to see the high level of discussion and commitment by all parties to continue to work collaboratively and developing programs and policies that improve the socioeconomic situation of the agri-food sector.”
Such gentle comment drives Easter crazy.
“This government doesn’t listen to these guys and they’re doing little for agriculture in the midst of serious problems in many sectors and failing programs,” he said.
“They should get over it and quit worrying about being quiet to get into the room. This minister isn’t listening. I can tell you farmers on the ground are not impressed by their leadership.”
