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“A drought this summer and only hot air from Ottawa this winter is more than farmers can take.”
OTTAWA
– Yesterday in the House of Commons Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton Melville,
pointed out that the government continually ignores the farm crisis on the
Prairies. In his statement to the
House Breitkreuz said farmers have had enough hot air over the summer, and that
the hot air now coming from Ottawa does not help in the least.
The following is Breitkreuz’s statement to the House:
Mr. Garry
Breitkreuz (Yorkton--Melville, Canadian Alliance): Mr.
Speaker, the minister of agriculture gives the impression to many Canadians that
he is dealing responsibly with the farm crisis and the drought experienced this
summer.
Nothing could be further from the truth. He has stood up in the House and
told farmers that there are programs available to them but he neglects to
mention that they do not work nor are they properly funded.
For example, the minister says that crop
insurance should soften the effects of the drought but the province of
Saskatchewan has requested $200 million to cover the shortfall for this year.
The minister responds to these desperate needs saying, "I'm waiting to see
how the programs work".
Farmers cannot wait. There should be the biggest payout in years yet
these programs are not even covering their input costs. CFIP and AIDA do not
help those farmers who need them most.
The minister talks about his programs but it is all hot air. They do not
work and are not properly funded. We have already had enough hot air on the
prairies with the drought this summer. Now we need some action.
“The
minister did not respond yet, but hopefully he will understand the crisis by
talking to farmers first hand, and visiting the affected areas now that harvest
is completed. I urge him to
approach Finance Minister Paul Martin to dramatically improve the funding of
agricultural programs in his upcoming budget,” said Breitkreuz.
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