The Hill

Instead of endless meetings on such ethereal topics as the food supply chain or a national food strategy, Parliament’s key agricultural committee needs to start dealing with the bread and butter issues that affect farmers where they live

by BARRY WILSON

Watching Parliament through the lens of mainstream media is to imagine that national politics revolves around the drama of daily Question Period and subsequent Parliament Hill mob scenes that set the political agenda.

What minister misspoke herself today? Is Justin Trudeau really the new Messiah? How dare you say that? Blah blah blah.

While governments claim that there has been extensive industry consultation on the issue,
farm leaders beg to differ

by BARRY WILSON

Autumn gatherings of farmers are often optimistic affairs with harvest done or pending and the fruits of the year’s work visible.

Yet there was a strain of apprehension and uncertainty in the room in early September when members of the Ottawa Federation of Agriculture assembled for their annual meeting.

Part of it was due to unease about the impending government response to this year’s drought-reduced crop in eastern Ontario and the ripple effects it is having on forage, grain and livestock operations.

There was a time when the CBC’s daily noon farm show gave depth and perspective to agricultural reporting. Today, agriculture is only newsworthy when there is blood in the water

by BARRY WILSON

It was almost a quarter century ago when Canada’s national publicly-funded broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, decided to end its long-running daily agricultural reporting from Ottawa.

Legendary reporter George Price was retiring and the CBC, facing budget cuts from the Progressive Conservative government of the day, took advantage of Price’s departure to end the position.

Gerry Ritz says ag research funds have increased 15 per cent since 1994. His critics say public funding of agriculture and food research in Canada has fallen quite sharply. Who’s right?

by BARRY WILSON

In the history of the bizarre debate about the level of agricultural research funding now compared to then (pick your date), no day stands out more starkly than May 3, 2012.

On that day, a letter from agriculture minister Gerry Ritz was published in a newspaper (albeit written several weeks before) which asserted that Conservative spending on agricultural research in fiscal year 2010-11 was 15 per cent higher in real terms than it had been in 1994.

The details were lacking, but some suspect the March budget is signalling less emphasis on support programs for farmers in trouble and more on insurance premiums which they will have to pay for

by BARRY WILSON

In the aftermath of the late March federal budget, the news cycle highlight about the impact on agriculture was deep cuts planned for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Finance minister Jim Flaherty announced that, by 2014-15, Agriculture Canada will have to live with 10 per cent less, a $310 million cut in its budget, including more than $56 million cut from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.