NEWS RELEASE

November 25, 1998   For Immediate Delivery

VANCLIEF DOESN’T HAVE TO GO TO CABINET TO GIVE FARMERS A BREAK

"Reform demands immediate moratorium on user fees and substantial tax relief for farmers."

Ottawa – Today, Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville and Deputy Critic for Agriculture, challenged Minister of Agriculture Lyle Vanclief in Question Period to provide immediate financial relief to alleviate the farm income crisis. "The Minister of Agriculture is dragging his feet – using Cabinet as an excuse for his lack of action. Why did it take two months of questions and a full day of debate in the House before Mr. Vanclief would even acknowledge that thousands of farm families are facing a financial disaster?" asked Breitkreuz. Here’s the transcript from Hansard:

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food continues to gouge bankrupt farmers. This minister uses his agencies such as the Canadian Grain Commission and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to strip $138 million from farmers. The minister could go a long way to saving the family farm by dropping these user fees today. He does not need to discuss it with the finance minister. He does not need to negotiate with Americans. Why does he not just do it?

Hon. Lyle Vanclief (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.): [Rather than subject everyone to the Minister’s long-winded response, we’ll paraphrase: Farmers asked to pay these user fees.]

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, farmers are paying all of those fees. These agencies are of value to all Canadians. The point is that Canadian farmers are going broke, and until this crisis is over we should stop taking the shirts off their backs. I am not asking the minister to disband the Canadian Grain Commission, I am asking him to stop using his ministry to drive farmers off the land. Again, when will he suspend these taxes?

Hon. Lyle Vanclief (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.): [Paraphrasing again: Farmers like paying the full cost of user fees that benefit all Canadians.]

"It took two months for the Minister to acknowledge there is a farm income crisis. For the sake of farmers all across Canada, I sincerely hope it doesn’t take another two months to eliminate user fees, abolish fuel taxes, reduce income taxes and fix the farm safety net programs," concluded Breitkreuz.

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