A Change in the Wind ..?

Over the years, we have watched agriculture in general struggle with the vagaries of prices, imports, new WTO rules, new food safety rules, retail distribution, processor and retail consolidation, etc.,etc. The dairy industry has had it's fair share of concerns and issues to deal with as well as those mentioned above. In general, from the farmers perspective, one could say that agriculture in this country does not receive the attention that should be warrented by our governments.

Any change in that attitude has come at the cost of hard, hard work by the commodiites invovlved and are mostly regionalised (provincial). They are also only as good as the government of the day and the skill or tenacitiy of the farm commodity involved. Governments have to do better than this for Canada and her agricultural resources.

In this respect, the crazed handling by the current government of the Canadian Wheat Board Issue, has had one large positive come forward out of it.

In a few short days the Liberal Party of Canada is closing on the hunt for a new leader. But policy discussion is also part of the Convention. From the disasters of the past few years and recent times, have come some stunning resolutions to this Convention.

The most notable: from the Policy Workshops to the 2006 leadership and biennial convention

N o v e m b e r 2 9 - D e c e m b e r 3 , 2 0 0 6
M o n t r e a l , Q u e b e c

34) Canadian Food Policy

WHEREAS Canadian farming is at a critical juncture; and

WHEREAS the agricultural producers have invested to produce high-quality foods; and

WHEREAS the cost of producing this high-quality food cannot be recaptured through the pricing of the products to consumers; and

WHEREAS the U.S., Europe and other trading countries use creative means of paying their agricultural producers through environmental, tourism, and other creative avenues in order to ensure their farmers maintain a reasonable return for their costs;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada develop a Canadian food policy that addresses the current economic realities and ensures that Canadian agricultural producers are able to make a reasonable income as they produce the highquality food required for Canada.

New Brunswick Liberal Association
Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island

E c o n o m i c P o l i c y

115) National Food Security Policy

WHEREAS government agricultural programs and policies in recent years have been designed on the premise of a successful outcome of the Doha round of WTO negotiations : talks aimed at reducing domestic supports, increasing market access, eliminating export subsidies and maintaining our supply management system as well as the Canadian Wheat Board; and

WHEREAS these talks have failed, making decisive action necessary to help Canadian producers face a new economic and policy reality; and

WHEREAS Canadian producers must have sustainable incomes and all partners in the agri-food production chain deserve the opportunity to succeed and be profitable; and

WHEREAS Canada has no formal strategy to maintain a safe, affordable food supply;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada supports setting as a national priority the establishment of a fully funded and long-term National Food Security Policy which views the nation's ability to produce safe and reliable agricultural products as an issue of national sovereignty and security; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada supports the provision of an immediate and one-time cash investment into the agricultural sectors, at the primary producer level, of $3.66 billion.

National Liberal Caucus

Note: There is a least one more in addition to the above.-CG
Let's wish them well and hope some of these policies see the light of day, soon.