Strahl: Nothing for Farmers

[SASKFARMER3]

My biggest fear is that the Bureaucrats from Ottawa have gotten to him and he believes they know whats best for Canadian farmers.
My god I work with these Idiots every day and trust me they don't have Canadian farmers in mind. They have their Jobs and that's it.
They think were all uneducated winners that should try other crops like trees and make a go of it.
etc.
Its just plain frustrating, and no one seems to care, now not even the Conservatives,
I predict today this government will not last One Year.

[skhadenuf]

I can't speak for Manitoba or Alberta but here in Saskatchewan the present government is terrified that cais may be replaced with a good program that may actually require a significant commitment financially on their part. Our provincial gov. knows the program isn't working for farm families but that suits them fine since those that loose their farms or simply quit aren't staying around, most are gone to Alberta. When they leave it's one less family not voting for them next election. Less rural population means less rural ridings and there you have it, self preservation on their part.

The second part to this is that they know where the money from Cais is going, for the most part it's going to the SWP hog ventures and other mega hog ventures that our gov here has sunk so much money in grants. Without the cais money these mega ventures would have been broke ten times over and would have made spudco look trivial. Again by supporting the large hog ventures they pushed out family size farm ventures therefore the rural depopulation plan continues.

I think the feds need to realize that
they were put in power by the rural people and not the provincial governments who have their own agendas that are quite different than what rural people and many urban people actually want also. Many urban people who actually find out where the money is going are appalled because many do believe in support for family farms and not swp etc.

The sk. prov. gov. also likes cais because it resembles sask. crop insurance to a t. Lots of bueraucracy for a program that doesn't work. Good union gov. jobs with little attention to the people they are supposed to serve. Mind boggling to have 2 programs niether working, yet 2 huge administrations and if you get crop insurance payment it's deducted off of any possible cais payment. Talk about waste of money!!!! If urbanites were ever explained that this is our system many of them would be as upset as we are.

[ivbinconned]

Before we all cast to much blame on Harper and put words in his mouth...I repeat, this administration is ceremonial with Jack Chow,and the other leaders playing a big but not as obvious role in the decision making process!!

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"Mulroney won the West with Free Trade, and Quebec with Meech. What he hoped was that no matter how much the West, particularly Alberta, despised Meech and what would today be called asymmetrical federalism, it would go along. The trick to governing Canada, he believed, was to keep Quebec happy, Ontario satisfied and the West just a few degrees below simmering. Quebec wanted what it wanted, Ontario wanted to know that the nation's affairs were being looked to, lest crisis disrupt the economic engine of the Golden Horseshoe, and West could be left with crumbs because they had no where else to turn. This is a strategy inherent in all political coalitions: You betray your base so you can reach out to a swing grouping. The hope is that your base doesn't walk away. Mulroney calculated that the West wouldn't walk. He was wrong.""
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I will stay on board to see if they can win a majority...in the event they don't...I and I know cowman, will be the first to walk!

[dalek]

Heard an interestingly honest presentation from an OMAF assistant deputy minister today about his experiences and perspectives from the can/prov meeting. Mostly backed up what most would probably already suspect, but never thought we'd hear from a civil servant.
Suggested fairly strongly that CAIS was designed not with the farmer in mind but to further the cause of NAFTA and WTO in regards to globalization of agriculture. Also suggested very strongly that the move on ag policy is that if farmers can't make it on CAIS and CAIS alone, farmers should find something else to do and the federal and provincial governments will soon be (if they aren't already) perfectly willing to let Canadians buy their food wherever it's cheapest, regardless of any kind of standards. Apparently the feds were very clear that they haven't heard ANY dissent about CAIS from western farm groups. He also emphasized repeatedly the recent report from CAPI suggesting that any future ag policy be designed only for the upper 50% of farms in Canada and that this is getting a lot of play in policy circles.

Also separately heard that the feds are having a lot of problem with developing policy, all their policy people are firmly based in the west and they're having a hard time convincing anybody to uproot their families to move to Ottawa with an uncertain minority. End result is that many of the ministers haven't even been briefed about their portfolios yet! For example, Strahl hadn't been briefed on Kyoto or any of the ag environmental subjects as of about 3 weeks ago.

[dalek]

Supposed to be 150 tractors at Queen's Park for the budget announcement tomorrow, and we're going to Ottawa April 5. Apparently there are also supposed to be events being organized in the west on that day, and a number of farmers from Quebec coming to Ottawa to back us up.

[dalek]

Steve Webster is still living in his car at Queen's Park. He's been there for two weeks now sleeping in his 91 Buick, getting press now from around the world and living mostly on canned beans and apples. The pressure is getting to the gov't now, first they had two police officers roust him in the middle of the night to tell him he couldn't park in the public parking anymore, refusing to give their badge #s or names, so both NDP leader Howard Hampton and PC MPP Toby Barrett offered him their parking spots for the duration. He's parked in Hampton's last I heard. Then just as he was supposed to receive a call back to connect him to a rally he was supposed to speak to someone at a high position in either the gov't or police had Telus change his cell phone number without his knowledge so no one could contact him until he figured out what was going on. He's still there, still perfectly peaceful with security officers monitoring him 24 hours a day, hiding in the bushes taking pictures of anyone he speaks to, and with tractors circling the block all day to back him up.
Anyone wanting to donate to Steve's cell phone bill or to keep him fed (and warm in his car at night) can get donation information and news updates at www.hcfa.on.ca

[dalek]

Snowmobilers supporting farm protests in Toronto: This is what happens when you "offer" to close the trails to pressure government.


"The North Huron Trail Groomers are floating their groomer to the farm rally at Queen’s Park tomorrow in a show of support for their landowners.



I have attached a press release that outlines this initiative. It has gone out to the local radio and tv stations, as well as newspapers in Clinton, Goderich, Blyth, and Wingham. If you would like to forward this to your local newspaper, please feel free to do so.



Kudos to Don Hardy, Simon Vandriel (who is donating the truck to float the groomer to Toronto) and the rest of the North Huron gang for continuing to hang in there after a tremendous season (I am starting to refer to is as “the season that never really was” ). They have a tremendous morale and, through it all, are continuing to look for POSITIVE & PROACTIVE ways to support their landowners. Good job, guys!



K.



_______________________________



Karen Buratynski

Operations Director & Administrator

OFSC District 9

toll free: 1-800-387-7669

fax: 519-986-4051

www.ofscdistrict9.ca"

[SASKFARMER3]

I totally agree the sask gov is happy when a farmer is done one less person to not vote for them.
they will leave for alberta and thats happening every day.

[cowman]

Well I see Chuck Strahl is going to be addressing the farmers at Yorkton, Sask. soon? I would hope he gets an earful and it just isn't a handpicked crowd of lapdogs waiting to lick the hand of their master?
I think the Conservatives are making a big mistake here if they ignore the farmer and the crisis situation he is in today? If they don't deliver(and never mind this minority BS!) where does that leave the western grain farmer, or for that matter all Canadian farmers? How do you have faith in any political party no matter what they promise?
Now without a doubt Harper has a balancing act on his hands that is difficult to say the least? But bottom line he has got to keep his basic promises to the people who got him to where he is...rural Ontario and western Canada?
If he fails, where does the western Canadian farmer go? Back to the liberals? Over to the goofy NDP who we know are a disaster in the waiting? Or does he start to finally say "Hey I can't win in this game! Everything is stacked against me and I will never win?" Will that be an "AHA" moment and the slow realization that it is time to consider leaving this joke of a country?
I will add a quick disclaimer: I am a western seperatist and have been all my life. I do not believe this country will ever work no matter which party is running the show.

[ivbinconned]

""But bottom line he has got to keep his basic promises to the people who got him to where he is...""

That is the rub, they didn't get far enough. And in the mathimatical reality of CON-federation he maybe never will.