by BETTER FARMING STAFF
With a non-confidence vote looming Friday against Canada’s Conservative minority government, promises made in yesterday’s budget towards agriculture will depend on who takes power after a federal election.
That was the message Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz delivered to reporters in a roundabout fashion during a teleconference Wednesday.
“At the end of the day, it depends what configuration the government comes back as,” Ritz said in the conference’s transcripts. He was responding to a question about how failure to pass the budget would affect proposed programs.
Ritz said the Conservative government has done a “tremendous job” working with industry on both innovation and markets. “But all of these budgetary items disappear, basically cease to exist until a government forms itself again, has a throne speech, then a budget and move forward.”
Ritz called an election “unnecessary” and said that it stood “in our road of moving forward when we’ve got that momentum on our side right now.”
If the Conservatives return to power, plans for agriculture listed in Tuesday’s budget will remain. “This is what industry is asking of us.”
During the teleconference, Ritz referred to advances made in trade negotiations with South Korea and mainland China. “We’re very, very close on the final ‘cross the Ts and dot the Is’,” he said.
He remained lukewarm about supporting Ontario commodity groups’ proposal for insurance-based risk management programs. “We’ve not been able to find where it’s actually worked for producers,” and the current suite of agricultural business risk programs is fully funded, he said. But he noted the Conservatives are “excited about the potential to move to insurance based type of business risk.”
Should there be a need for AgriStability or AgriRecovery in Ontario, “we’ll be there for them.”
Ritz also asserted that there were a number of other commodity groups in Ontario that were “thrilled” by the budget.
On Wednesday, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff announced plans to move a non-confidence vote on Friday. The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has found the Conservatives in contempt of Parliament alleging the minority government crossed the ethical line by not releasing information about spending estimates for fighter jets, prison changes and corporate tax cuts.
It’s expected MPs will vote on the budget the same day.
NDP Leader Jack Layton said Wednesday there’s still a possibility he’ll support the Conservatives’ budget if changes are made. BF
Comments
Just exactly which commodity groups in Ontario were "thrilled" by this budget?
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
It is so comforting to here that ag stability will be there if we need it after they just got done paying the producers who most needed it to get out because ag stability did not help. It is clear that they have no concept of the problems in Ont Ag, or a willingness to do anything about it. Just heard on CKNX this morning that all cucumbers for pickles in Ont are exported because there are no processors left. I guess they figure if they wait long enough they won't have to do anything for agriculture because there will be nothing left...........
John Gillespie, Ripley
I guess they figure if they wait long enough they won't have to do anything for agriculture because there will be nothing left...........
If the above is true why are farmers buying these trouphy farms at $7000 to $12000 per acre? Seems that Green belt land has droped in price.
There must be a lot of money around to pay your income tax first and the buy farms after taxes. Is FCC financing this?
Explain
“We’ve not been able to find where it’s actually worked for producers,”. While in Ottawa Ritz might look across the river to Quebec. While in Lloydminster he might look across to Alberta. If you don't look you won't find.
Michael Donohue
Douglas, On
Number of words in the Budget Speech: 3237
Number of times the word "farmer" was used: 0
Complete budget:
Number of pages in complete document: 352
Number of times the word "farmer" was used: 5
Context of which the word "farmer" is used;
Page 84: Canada expanding access to credit for farmers in poor countries.
Page 95: "$470 million to provide assistance to grain and livestock farmers following the 2010 spring floods in Western Canada". The money was allocated to but the budget did not state farmers received it.
Page 96: To encourage Quebec farmers (Agri-Québec) to set aside their money in Agri-Invest.
Page 266: Again, encouraging Quebec farmers (Agri-Québec) to set aside their own money in Agri-Invest. The word "farmer" is used twice in the paragraph.
If there are other commodity groups in Ontario that are "thrilled" with this budget as Mr. Ritz says, will Mr. Ritz publicly name those groups to back up his statement?
If Mr. Ritz cannot or will not name those commodity groups, is he being disrespectful to Ontario farmers as they were not mentioned once in the whole document.
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