Dear editor.
While Canadian agriculture policy is something new to Mr. Ignatieff, I was surprised that he would leave out the facts in his recent letter.
Unbeknownst to the Liberal Party, Ontario producers want to make their money from the marketplace, not the mailbox. That's why we've opened up markets such as Hong Kong and Russia, and concluded a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia. To support producers during times of difficult times, our Government has delivered over $1.1 billion to Ontario producers.
What Mr. Ignatieff failed to mention was that it was the former Liberal party who threw out NISA and brought in the disaster that was CAIS. Rather than consulting with real farmers, Ontario farmers can expect the Liberals to continue with their tradition of imposing top-down policy. After all, they had 13 years to make a difference and failed time and time again. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt, however, as he likely wasn't living in Canada then.
While Mr. Ignatieff maintains a coalition with the Bloc Quebecois separatists, this Government does not play one region off another. Our national programs were built to treat producers equally across the country. Our programs respect our international trade obligations and keep markets open for our producers and processors.
For the first time, our Government has given the provinces the flexibility to develop and fund their own programs to meet their individual priorities. Mr. Ignatieff calls the Ontario Liberal Risk Management Program 'predictable' but if he knew anything about international trade, he'd know that the only thing 'predictable' about this program is that it would encourage countervail and slam markets shut.
Our Government will not let that happen and will continue to put Canada's Farmers First in all of our agricultural policy decisions.
Mr. Ignatieff didn't come back for Canadians, and certainly didn't come back for Ontario farmers.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz BF
Comments
"" but if he knew anything about international trade, he'd know that the only thing 'predictable' about this program is that it would encourage countervail and slam markets shut"".
Surly when you read the Ritz conservative and Igy's liberal crap you see in black and white how both parties play farmers as absolute mispelled fools
SO WHY DOES OUR gfo AND ofa KEEP TRYING FOR 10 YEARS TO SPIN US FARMERS ON rmp WHEN Ritz STATES ABSOLUTELY NO RMP
SO THEIR stated WORDS CONSERVATIVES AND LIBERALS DOES NOTHING AND FARM LEADERS PLAY US AS FOOLS ALSO
Farmers shouldnt vote for liberals or conservatives hoping to get reasonable good business farm legislation. WE HAVE NOBODY TO VOTE FOR. Farmers should be at the fork in the road. We as farmers should discuss options have a canadian farmer delegation plead our case of no confidence in Canadian govt farm legislation with the "United Nations" You heard right
THE UN UNITED NATIONS
Canadian farmers have a HELL OF A PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES WITH POOR TO NO SOLUTIONS. YOUNG FARMERS GROW OLD NOW SEEING HOW ALL GOVTS HAVE SCREWED A CLASS OF PEOPLE WHO TILL THE LAND AND TEND LIVESTOCK
Cheap shots, unsubstantiated allegations I THINK NOT
2000 supply management farmers are defeating the needed legislation of the remaining NON SUPPLY MANAGEMENT 200000 farmers. How can you respect these people
I'm a young farmer, 31 years old. I bought 100ac farm and started with a JD tractor that was older than me and a notill corn planter that was ten years ago, made it through some very low prices and no banks that would look twice at me but with some help from a private lender I have grown to over 1000ac (on leased land). I find it hard to believe your government gave out 1.1billion my check must have been lost in the mail? Just wish that when we elect people for office they would go and work as hard as I do to make a living instead of just pointing fingers and bad mouthing each other (must be election time again). Bet the 1.1B created some pretty good government funded jobs and paid to put the food we grow on someones table. I think you are in the wrong place to defend any government policy, actual farmers read this and we know how much funding reaches us.
So who will you vote for the liberals?
Do a study of the last 20 years or back to the 70s the liberal record on farm legislation is no better . Satisfy your own conclusions. Todays farm leaders wont stand up they are gutless and a part of the problem This is a made in Canada problem and will continue If you at 31 are agrain farmer dont believe these high grain prices will not last hedging will only work so long.
The young 31 year old farmers should not wait for the Babyboomer farmers to solve the problem , they wont . Protests is not the answer in canada although the young in the middle east have started change, but to what? There are some previleged farmers who protect their previlege at the expense of others and it is ingrained in our political system
I don't vote, why would I? They say we are a democratic society free of dictators like in the middle east, we are not instead we have 2 dictators liberals and conservatives when we get rid of the parties and elect a free thinking independent council where elected people vote for the best plan not the one that your group is pushing then I will vote. Just because I'm young does make me naive I know these grain prices are subsidised to the hills and will likely crash and take a lot of us out and I also know that government wont be there to help. You are right about one thing the boomers wont solve any of the problems they created they will sell off their quotas and high priced land and retire and boomers like this Ag minister will collect large pensions funded off my back. But I can help but wonder who will be there to buy the quotas and the farms I know my generation cant afford it. Young Farmer
Gerry Ritz was born in 1951 (I was born in 1950) - making us both "boomers". He's going to retire rich, just on his government pension alone, plus he's going to cash in whatever land he bought at under 15 times earnings in the 1970s.
Thanks to the cleansing power of divorce, I'm going to retire when I'm 75 because I have no government pension, and the land I bought in the 1970s got sold to settle with my ex.
My boomer generation has no sympathy for the next - look no further than boomers buying "trophy" farms just because they can. It's the basic arrogance of my generation which is going to be our undoing because the next generation sees us as obstacles, rather than enablers.
We need more voices like yours on this site - too many of my generation, including, apparently, Gerry Ritz, think only of themselves.
And as for quota, don't worry about who's going to buy it - it won't be around in ten years, because farmers under the age of 40 hate supply management with a passion.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
Yes we need younger farmers to speak up, yes about"trophy" farms just because they can.My boomer generation has no sympathy for the next shows the infection of greed. Not all boomers need taring with the same trophy brush. This whole ponzi mix needs to be exposed for sake of good business. Young and boomer farmers need to look at page 16 and 18 march 2011 of Ontario Grain Farmer, titled debt on the farm, current state of agricultural debt in canada. Then Manageing farm debt.
Farmers are asleep at the switch allowing this debt and worse by allowing our farm leaders to develop dream missions & statements.
One must wonder if CEOs and farm leaders have Government peace pipes filled with illusion based tobacco substitute while sipping Bio based wine reading their new publication filler titled Satire alive with edits by past PM
When you become Canada agriculture Minister you must sign your name in the "Oath Book"along with the name of Macdonald Cartier Laurier and King you must fulfil obligations of the office and oath of secrecy to death
What will Saint Peter say to these men at the gates
It's too bad that Ritz, himself, doesn't seem to understand that when it comes to "slamming markets shut", supply management, the supposed jewel in the crown of Canada's agricultural policy, invented the term.
And while Ritz falls all over himself to boast about the markets his government has opened, he's amazingly quiet about the markets that won't open to us through the Trans-Pacific trade talks, solely because of our intransigence about supply management.
Most importantly, Ritz leaps right into the gutter when he has so little to say about issues, that he feels the need to cast aspersions about Mr. Ignatieff's "patriotism" - that's a cheap shot at the best of times.
Although I'm not impressed with the Liberal's track record on trade issues, I'm even less impressed by the present government's seeming need to pander to the worst instincts of some in the farm community.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
Harper did not find Ottawa with GPS. He found Ottawa with the help of Ont farmers who supported his minority win against a (liberal) urban vote. Farmers took him at his word when in Western Ont he promised to scrap CAIS ... Later rename it,... no ... then he would fix CAIS by increasing regional support to Quebec on a 5 yr program.
Mr Ritz is rather selective in his recount of PC political fact but this I am sure of ...He tells porkies not the truth
that Better Farming editing staff will censor comments against a provincial farm organization known for not doing much any longer, but allows a clearly politicized, crap comment advertisement from the CPC (and Ritz) to further muddies the fine line between policy and stupidity? I am seriously surprised. Did Ritz or the CPC pay for that line to be put in? If not, it shouldn't have been. And a couple of comments have been on the mark - the CPC has forgotten which group put them into power, even in the minority realm, and that is the farming community. Given the last five years, the question that should be asked is - What the hell have they done for us, now or in the past?
Gerry Ritz is not listening to farmers. He's taking cheap shots at the Liberals, the RMP is something that's come from Ontario farmers. He should listen or we should get a new Ag Minister.
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