Liberals and Progressive Conservatives respond to Grain Farmers of Ontario wish list

Friday, May 16, 2014

by MATT MCINTOSH

With a provincial election scheduled for June, Grain Farmers of Ontario published five “smart growth” policy recommendations for provincial election candidates earlier this week. Ontario’s Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties, however, only partially support the five recommendations as laid out by the commodity organization.

In a May 14 press release, Grain Farmers of Ontario called for:

• An adequate level of funding (or a higher cap) for the business risk management program
• Investment in a specialized soybean refining facility in Southwestern Ontario
• The Processor Retention and Investment Attraction Program (PRIAP)
• A sustainable solution to pollinator health and a commitment to a national science-based approach
• And continued public research investments in longer-term issues facing Ontario farmers so that we may remain competitive with our larger acreage competitors

In response, Gabe De Roche, a member of the Liberal Party’s central campaigns media team, told Better Farming via email that Ontario’s Liberal party will continue supporting the Risk Management Program; the Liberals, he says, have continued to work with Grain Farmers of Ontario to implement a “redesigned program which includes . . . an industry-managed premium fund which offers access to support beyond the capped amount in years of need.”

Roche adds the Liberals invest $40 million annually to a food processing stream under the “Jobs and Prosperity Fund,” but does not say whether or not the party will support a soybean refining facility in southwestern Ontario. Similarly, no specific mention was made of the Processor Retention and Investment Attraction Program, which, as Grain Farmers of Ontario’s website explains, is a program proposed by the Alliance of Food Processors that will work to attract other businesses while providing capital for Ontario’s current food processing industry.

Roche also says the Liberal Party “understands the importance of research and innovation” to the success of Ontario’s agricultural sector. That understanding, he says, is shown through the renewal of a research partnership between the government the University of Guelph, and continued support for crop research stations across the province.

On the topic of pollinator health, Roche says the province supports and looks to the federal government, “the regulator of pesticides in Canada, to provide evidence-based direction on a national approach to neonicotinoid use.”

Ernie Hardeman, MPP for Oxford and the Progressive Conservative’s agriculture and food critic, says in a recent phone interview that his party also supports a risk management program, but does not agree with the idea of a system based around a funding cap. Instead, he says the Progressive Conservatives are in favour of a “dedicated fund” where a set amount of money is allocated every year and surpluses – accumulated when not all of the program’s funding is used- can be banked for subsequent years.

When it comes to funding a southwestern Ontario soybean processing facility and the Processor Retention and Investment Attraction Program, Hardeman says his party is apprehensive.

“We have concerns about giving to one business and not the other,” he says. “We want to help all businesses by eliminating red tape.”

For pollinator health and agricultural research, Hardeman says his party is committed to finding sustainable solutions that help Ontario farmers compete with larger competitors, and says the Progressive Conservatives support cooperating and working with other public and private partners.

John Vanthof, MPP for Timiskaming-Chochrane and the provincial New Democratic Party’s agricultural critic, did not respond to Better Farming’s request for an interview. BF