BREITKREUZ CONVEYS FARMERS’ DISTRESS TO HARPER, STRAHL
“This is an urgent situation in need of an urgent solution.”

OTTAWA – During a meeting in Ottawa on Monday, Garry Breitkreuz, M.P. for Yorkton-Melville, relayed concerns expressed by the 800 producers attending his Agriculture Forum on March 23 to both the Prime Minister and federal Minister of Agriculture.

“We need to get money into the hands of our farmers right now,” said Breitkreuz, detailing the message he gave to Prime Minister Harper and Minister Strahl during the three-hour meeting. Strahl accepted Breitkreuz’s invitation to attend last week’s Agriculture Forum in Yorkton, where he presented a speech and responded to producers’ questions.

“During Monday’s meeting, I impressed upon Mr. Harper and Mr. Strahl that while the budget doesn’t come down until late April and while we are still looking at replacing CAIS (Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization program), we need assistance in the hands of producers immediately,” said Breitkreuz.

In addition to the overwhelming number of producers from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta attending the Agriculture Forum, Breitkreuz has fielded numerous calls of apprehension over the past number of months from farmers. For the most part, the concerns of Western Canadian farmers are the same – all are wondering how they will be able to afford to seed this year’s crop. Low commodity prices coupled with high input costs are making a profitable 2006 crop questionable. Add to that, the remnants of flooded fields for some in the northern part of the riding and a 2006 crop looks almost improbable.

“Although Mr. Strahl was able to hear at the Forum the adversities our producers are facing, I reiterated those facts to both the Prime Minister and Ag Minister,” said Breitkreuz. “Our farmers are facing huge input costs this spring and most have yet to pay last year’s bills. Others have bills going back years. We have to do something to reduce the high input costs and the tax burden facing producers.”

The crisis facing the grains and oilseeds sector certainly is the focus of the Minister of Agriculture’s attention. Strahl agrees that assistance is urgently needed, but a budget has to be passed by Parliament in order to increase funding.

“Mr. Strahl realizes the pressure on the industry and is doing his best to assist,” said Breitkreuz. “He has explored all the ways he can help, but he is being governed by the law of the land, and he can’t override that.”

While a number of long-term objectives – such as transforming CAIS, reforming the Transportation Act and an agreement at the World Trade Organization – are being targeted, those are all objectives that may only assist Canadian farmers in the future.

“This is an urgent situation in need of an urgent solution,” said Breitkreuz. “I came away from my meetings with Prime Minister Harper and Minister Strahl feeling they both understand that, and will act as quickly as possible. The Prime Minister made it clear that his single biggest concern is agriculture.”

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