Party reps debate issues - Agricultural agenda

NRU
Oct. 7, 2015
By Leah Wong

In the midst of Trans-Pacific Partnership discussions representatives from Canadian political parties took to the stage to debate the future of agriculture in the country, pitching their party’s ideas on what investments and tools are needed to move the industry forward.

While the agricultural sector is the largest contributor to Canada’s economy, accounting for 6.7 per cent of gross domestic product, farming is an uncertain business and farmers look to the federal government for support. The agricultural sector is pushing federal leaders to address issues relating to infrastructure, the workforce and research.

NDP agriculture critic and Welland MP Malcom Allen, Liberal agriculture critic and Sydney-Victoria MP Mark Eyking, Bloc Quebecois Beloeil-Chambly candidate Yves Lessard, Agriculture and Agri-Food minister and Battlefords-Lloydminster Conservative MP Gerry Ritz and Kanata-Carleton Green Party candidate Andrew West participated in the September 30 debate hosted by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

The CFA reminded candidates that while farmers represent a small portion of the country’s constituency issues about food safety and farmers being able to move their products to processors and markets are important to the country.

“In order for our farmers and our food industry to continue to be successful the federal government needs to provide the right environment and tools,” Eyking said during the debate.

“What we need is a federal government that listens, works and invests in our agricultural industry so we’ll continue to thrive.”

The parties differ on what tools the government should be investing in to best support the industry. However, one area there is agreement is the need for further investments in rural infrastructure.

“We need infrastructure in rural communities,” said Allen.

“If we don’t have infrastructure in rural communities we can’t get that commodity from the farm to the processor or to market.”

West agreed that it is important to address how products can be moved and distributed. He said there needs to be further investment in rural infrastructure and railways to better move agriculture.

“One way that we will pay for it is to cut subsidies in areas that [subsidies] are not needed, such as the oil industry,” he said.

Ritz said that improving rural infrastructure is important to attracting future generations to the agriculture sector. He said there needs to be broadband internet access in rural communities and social infrastructure such as hospitals and schools.

Attracting a new generation to the agriculture sector and ensuring there is a strong workforce is important to the industry’s future.

Allen suggested that younger people are disconnected from farms and that there needs to be further efforts to attract people to the agricultural sector. He praised Niagara College’s brewery, winery and culinary programs, which bring people into one end of the agricultural sector spectrum.

“[These young people] are still inside the agriculture sector, they just don’t quite know that,” said Allen. “What we need to do is draw them back to where the agriculture sector begins.”

The pathway to getting young people working in an aspect of the agriculture sector is important says Eyking. He pointed out that agricultural colleges are started to receive more applicants and more people are interested in food sciences.

“I think we need to make it the right environment there. Many people won’t just have farms, but many will be in the industry,” said Eyking. “It’s important to fund the institutions to show them pathways to getting into sector.”

As the industry has struggled to maintain its workforcein recent years, more farmers have had to depend on foreign workers to help run their operations.

“We have horticulture operations that have been bringing people in from [other countries] for years and have good relationships with them and bring them in for over minimum wage,” said Eyking. “The problem is that these farmers have to go through a bureaucratic nightmare every year to get workers.”

Ritz said the Conservative government has made changes to the express entry system through the provincial nominee program. For example, he said there have been an additional 300 spots created for agriculture workers in Nova Scotia to meet local market needs. He added that this program is beneficial as it puts people on the road to becoming Canadians citizens.

Allen says there needs to be an overhaul to the program so that workers who want to come to Canada have status when they come and, in future, have an opportunity to become citizens. He said this would be beneficial as it would reduce the need to constantly train a new rotation of workers on health and safety, adding costs for farmers and the industry.

“We have to give agricultural workers that want to come and work here status,” said Allen.

“Those who come to become agricultural workers may become the future farmers of this country.”

Dealing with changing environmental conditions as a result of climate change has increased the importance of agricultural research to farmers.

West said the Green Party wants to restore funding to research and make changes to what is funded to create a more environmentally sustainable sector. His party would eliminate funding for GMP products and cut all biotech funding. Instead it seeks to pump money into community-supported agriculture such as small-scale farms and invest in organic farming.

“We want to shift support away from biotechnology into energy efficient farming and organic and sustainable food farming,” said West. He said this will include giving transitional support to farmers that want to pursue organic farming.

West faced opposition on the issue of biotechs.

“Biotech is the answer moving forward when it comes to agriculture, it’s a lighter environmental footprint than organic,”said Ritz. “It’s the only way possible that we will maintain our trade status in the world on the volume and value of product.”