The federal government has taken a hard look at the ailing agricultural community and introduced several initiatives to provide security and prosperity for Canadian farmers.

We believe the federal government’s respect and appreciation for farmers is long overdue. I rose in the House of Commons some five months ago to ask the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to replace the ill-conceived Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program, known as CAIS. Minister Chuck Strahl has done exactly that, and his new initiatives come as a breath of fresh air to farmers.

CAIS was a bureaucratic nightmare for farmers and we are fixing it. Working with the province, we have replaced CAIS with programs that are simpler, more predictable and bankable for farmers. The business risk management programs that replace CAIS include:

• AgriInvest — both producers and governments contribute to a producer’s savings account so they can easily predict the government’s contribution and have the flexibility to withdraw funds when income declines or make investments to improve farm profitability
• AgriStability — support for a producer when farm income declines more than 15 per cent
• AgriRecovery — disaster relief framework to coordinate a rapid federal/provincial response when disasters strike and fill gaps not covered by existing programs
• AgriInsurance — expands an existing program that insures against production losses for specified perils (weather, pests, disease) to include more commodities

Minister Strahl met with his provincial and territorial counterparts at the end of June to forge an agreement in principle for a new market-driven vision to reshape the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products industry. Under the name, Growing Forward, this action plan is being negotiated by federal, provincial and territorial governments over the coming months. Growing Forward is the evolution of the current Agricultural Policy Framework to make the industry profitable and innovative as it responds to market demands and contributes to the health and well-being of Canadians.

In March, Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged the importance of agriculture by providing $1 billion, including $400 million that goes directly into the pockets of farmers this summer to help offset high production costs. An additional $100 million will be allocated annually to address production costs as they occur.

The 2006 and 2007 budgets committed a total of $4.5 billion to agriculture. The latter of those budgets allocated $2 billion to support and expand the renewable fuel industry, which could have positive effects here at home. An additional $10 million will bolster the Biofuel Opportunities for Producers Initiative.

There seems little doubt that the federal government is delivering on its promise to support the essential role our farmers play in keeping Canadians healthy and prosperous.

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