Ontario Farmer re funding

[dalek]

Ottawa aid package includes little new money
The Canadian government says it's spending $5.2 billion over six years to help its farmers stay more competitive. But farmers won't find a lot of new safety net help in the package.

Reuters reports Ottawa announcement yesterday of a new farm aid package included mostly money to replace existing farm subsidies or for food safety and other projects that do not directly support farm income.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien, in making the announcement, said the government "is committed to moving agriculture beyond crisis management to greater profitability and prosperity."

The main new element, the article says, is $600 million in federal funds for each of this year and next year, which Ottawa hopes the provinces will top up with $400 million of their own. That would take federal farm income support to $1.7 billion or more from the current level of $1.14 billion in this fiscal year and next. But this would then revert to $1.1 billion a year starting in the fiscal year that begins April 2004, the article says.

On top of that would be a total of almost $1.5 billion, to be spread over the next five to six years, for things like consulting services, taking environmentally fragile land out of production, and research and development.


From www.ontariofarmer.com

[danm]

Sounds like creative booking keeping, another smoke and mirrors trick, another uninformed political decision to remove focus on the real problems involved in agriculture. The problem is government and regulations to make sure the tranfer of wealth is directed to the right pockets. Need anymore be said.

[carebear300]

Kernel you have got it figured out right on the money. It is too bad we couldn't get rid of this liberal government and try somebody else. The only bad thing about the idea is that I don't think it would make any difference unless we could get rid of the senior civil servants in the department of agriculture because they seem bound and determined to put the farmers out of business. Maybe their renumeration should be tied relative to the net income of farmers then maybe they would have a different outlook on life.

[dalek]

Well I for one think we should double what we pay MPs. Make a nice big announcement for all the media.
Of course, we'll quietly change the accounting so that instead of the budget for their office coming separately, part of it will be included in their salary then they can pay it out to the staff themselves. Heck I bet in reality we can cut MP salaries to nothing and still make them think they're getting twice as much. Just like farm programs.

[cowman]

Or better yet just eliminate a lot of MPs! My own MP has done nothing...how can he? He is a Alliance MP(and incidently he taught me Biology 30 in school). Save the $100,000???
This whole agriculture package is beginning to look like a joke just like Kernal says. Smoke and mirrors. Appease the dumbies without actually doing anything. Is there really anything that can be done? Or are we on our own(as usual)?

[carebear300]

In the midst of this funding fiasco a few thoughts have come to mind about this government. Do you remember back to when those poorly taken care of members of parliament voted themselves a measly 20 per cent raise? I remember the prime minister giving a talk about how underpaid they were compared to legislators in american and Europe. There was not even one hint that we couldn't afford it in this country. I guess maybe there is one standard for politicians and their friends and another for farmers. Again why would I be surprised!!!!!!!!!After a while it gets to be sickening.