Tell the Liberal you want to see action on BSE!

[cakadu]

Kato - the top 5 food distributors in the world all reside outside of North America - in this game the Americans are not even on the radar screen. You're completely right - they just go about their business. That concerns me far more than a lot of things do when it comes to our food.

I had a thought today that maybe the media should quit treating this as BSE issue and start calling a spade a spade - this is a trade issue and nothing more. It has long since been any type of food safety issue.

It's very sad that none of the parties has much of a platform when it comes to agriculture and even sadder still that we haven't heard much of what any of those platforms might be. Have any of you heard about what they might be doing?

[cowman]

Well whiteface, I will tell you I have a lot more in common with the cowman/farmer in Montana or Idaho than I have with some stockbroker or lawyer in Toronto. What are the reasons I should feel patriotic towards Canada? What has Canada ever done for me or mine? Alberta...yes...but Canada?
Sorry...I'm a full blown seperatist!
The berries are my hobby...never expect to make any real money at it.
America has treated us very badly on this deal. They've treated us very badly on soft wood lumber and steel.
In fact, what the American government has done is they have protected their producers? Is that a bad thing? Wouldn't you like to see your federal government do the same?
Why is it that America(and Europe/Japan) are willing to stand up and support their farmers and other resource producers, but not Canada? Is it because we just can't afford it? Maybe if the government wasn't comprized of a den of thieves there might be some money to bring us up to a level playing field? The gun registry deal, adscan, the public works rip off, and who knows how many other ripoff scams....do you think that kind of money might pay for a few export subsides or a few cow plants? Maybe if we had some of that money we could play hardball with the other countries? Or maybe allow us to not be taxed so heavy on just about everything, including the 10 cent "road" tax? A road tax that has never built a road in the west in the last twenty years! $500 million a year out of Alberta alone...for what? So Quebec can have new and better freeways while our own municipal infrastructure crumbles?
But fear not, Mr. Martin, is going to generously let Calgary and Edmonton have 5 cents of that back...and never mind the rednecks out in rural Alberta! Or at least that is what he says for now? How come he never got very excited about the roads the last twelve years? Well he wasn't worried about getting tossed out then! Suddenly this great concern for the west???

[whiteface]

I could be called a separatist too, cowman, when Quebec first called to separate and Preston Manning said sure, but only if Alberta gets to go to, I was all for it. It never happened but last time I checked, Canada was still a separate country and I too, am jealous of the way other countries protect their citizens in every area other than health care better than Canada. Our government is so hell bent on just giving away our resources and quietly bowing to everybody. Nevertheless, I live here, I choose to live here and I think that now is as good a time as any to either stand up for ourselves and represent ourselves if our good for nothing government is not going to. Our next election will be all about health care again and no mention of any thing else. I keep at them though, I'm patriotic, I'm a separatist against people that don't feel like pulling together and sure Alberta has been real good to me but we've got a good leader that understands our needs. I'd hate like hell to lose Ralph from Alberta but how would this situation look if he was running the whole country. I know, rsomer, you're going to say no different at all, our hands are tied in a NAFTA agreement and all we can do is wait. Bullshit, what century is this anyway?

[kato]

It is election time.. best time ever to rattle some chains. That's what a democracy is all about.

If we don't like the fact that the government isn't sticking up for us, then we need to elect one that will.

Only problem is, I haven't heard the word agriculture mentioned even once by any candidate from any party!

We are big on the map, but in terms of population, Canada is even with the state of California. Is it any wonder the big American machine can intimidate our government?

I wonder what's worse, Chretien telling them to take a hike, or Harper looking like he wants to cozy up.

We're still paying for Chretien's daring to oppose them, but if we were to do everyting we were told like a good little colony, we'd be paying then too, just in a different way.

It ain't easy.

[cowman]

Well Whiteface, I don't think I will comment on Ralph, as my opinion of him isn't all that great or supportive!
We live in bizarre times here in Canada. We are slowly but surely moving closer to the Americans(after all they own just about everything up here), but they still have a tendency to treat us very badly. And it really bothers me that the current US administration, has maybe treated us really bad over some silly comments about Iraq! Maybe they need to step back and realize how we have treated them? After all our soldiers are fighting their fight in Afganistan...fact...no one flew into our skysc****rs? And we continue to treat them, in a trade context with kids gloves? And we side with them on just about everything internationally...other than their lawbreaking little adventure in Iraq?
It also really bothers me that the three Canadian parties don't seem to give one fig about our problems here in agriculture? We really are a non-issue? And that is sad, but maybe reality? After all I think like 2% of the population are farmers?
So while we bleed and go down for the count, the public is focussed on how to give millionaire doctors more money!That seems to be what is important? And that is sad? Because one day the people might wake up and realize they let something precious slip away? But it will be too late then?

[ivbinconned]

Well Whiteface and Cowman...you have sort of settled out the fact that those commodities of arrogance and bullshit have been equally forked out to our leaders on both side of the border. In fact most days I think Ottawa is much deeper in it.

I am glad that you both see the wisdom in a separate Western Canadian country. Had we had one, these past 30 years we would not have had a eastern pleasing .75 cent dollar that has made our Western Canadian industry such an attractive buy.

[les]

we cant cut off the oil to the usa but if the big usa companys cant drill for a month or two they will get worried and bitch to the usa politcians ..they dont want to fall behind in production with the high price of oil.