By Alice McFarlane

Farm groups concerned about lack of focus on agriculture in throne speech

Sep 24, 2020 | 10:26 AM

SASKATCHEWAN – Farm groups said yesterday’s throne speech was short on agricultural commitments.

Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) were disappointed many of the pressing needs for the agriculture industry were not addressed.

GGC President Jeff Nielsen said they gave the federal government a list of six priorities that require immediate attention.

“Our goal was to provide the government with clear and specific directives for what our industry needs right now to drive an economic recovery,” Nielsen said. “We are disappointed that so little attention was paid to addressing the challenges facing our sector.”

Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Bob Lowe told a virtual town hall meeting last night farmers, ranchers and foresters would be recognized for their role in emission reductions.

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“We were pleased to see the government acknowledged the role of farmers and ranchers across Canada play in the fight against climate change,” Lowe said. “We look forward to continuing to engage the government on this important topic during the fall session.”

The Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) were pleased the federal government renewed support for the supply managed sector.

DFC President Pierre Lampron said the speech sent a message to dairy farmers of the government’s commitment to compensate them for the losses they incurred from trade deals.

“When every year, you lose $450 million in domestic production being transferred to foreign dairy farmers, words aren’t enough. Only when we see details will we know if a promise made is a promise kept,” Lampron said.

Over the next two years the federal government said it would accelerate rural connectivity and ambitions of a universal broadband fund to ensure all Canadians would have access to high speed internet. The throne speech also confirmed the government plans to continue its carbon tax policy.

Alberta Wheat Commission chair Tom Hames said they appreciate the government’s commitment to improving rural connectivity and recognize farmers as key partners in the fight against climate change.

“However, barriers to growth such as a carbon tax hinder our competitiveness and penalizes farmers who sequester more carbon than we emit,” Hames said.

The government also announced it remains committed to water management by creating a new Canada Water Agency.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF