The Mike Harris government came into power with a lot of support from the
farm community and the rest of rural Ontario.
Some of this was due to an eagerness to escape from New Democratic Party (NDP) rule.
But the Progressive Conservative (PC) era began with some positive moves of its own. The PC government restored
the support level with Market Revenue to the 85% level, as had been the original program intent. (The NDP refused
to do this.) During the first few years, it generally honoured its pledge for no cuts to the agricultural budget.
It supported fuel ethanol (as had the NDP), despite opposition from the oil industry. And it became a champion
of the long-time OCPA goal of securing a more equitable allocation of federal spending on agriculture across all
provinces, including Ontario.
Perhaps the high point in the PC era came last spring when the Honourable Ernie Hardeman, Ontario Minister of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs, helped secure a new national agreement on safety net spending/allocation - a deal which
meant that, for the first time, federal safety net spending would reflect the relative provincial output of non-supply-managed
commodities (i.e., those eligible for safety net support). And the Ontario government followed this with a commitment
to provide additional matching funds to match, by a 40:60 provincial:federal ratio, the new additional allocation
of federal funds to Ontario.
But the downturn in good relations between the PC government and Ontario farmers also began in early 2000.
First came the ravaging of OMAFRA extension services, with the closing of most county/regional offices - indeed,
effectively closing them all, since the remaining offices no longer have local service mandates. Government spokespersons
may pretend that the skeleton structure remaining is an ‘improvement’, but it’s not. Gone is the front-line delivery
service - and provincial specialists are being drawn in to help fill local voids, meaning that provincial specialists
have less time to concentrate on new innovations and ‘big picture’ issues, as should be their role. They’re too
busy answering questions and dealing with the local crises which were formerly handled by local staff.
The problem is compounded by a continuing reallocation of resources from ‘agriculture’ and ‘food’ into ‘rural affairs’
within the ministry. In reality, the cuts to agriculture spending have been far larger than what is shown in OMAFRA
spending statistics.
This is not a criticism of OMAFRA staffers, who are doing their best to provide the best service possible with
dramatic reductions in numbers. The fault lies with the PC politicians who are responsible.
And there is a distinct danger that more cuts may follow, with the government interpreting complaints about the
new ‘system’ as rationale for making further cuts - perhaps even eliminating the ministry completely - rather than
correcting the damage done by past actions.
The Walkerton tragedy was the second sign of deterioration. Walkerton deaths and illnesses appear to have been
largely the result of excessive rainfall and poor water quality treatment processes within that municipality. But
it’s also clear that this was, in part, the result of negligence and funding cutbacks by the Government of Ontario.
Rural Ontario also noticed how quick PC politicians were to duck and seek scapegoats rather than to own up to their
responsibilities. Even more evident was their reluctance to stand up for agriculture by pointing out some basic
facts: E. coli bacteria are an integral part of livestock agriculture, and there are scarcely any mega-farms (with
‘mega-farms’ being considered in a North American context) in Bruce County - or, for that matter, in Ontario.
To grain and oilseed farmers, a third strike against the present government is its reluctance, to date, to provide
any leadership in our continuing battle to obtain the additional public funds needed to restore equity with support
levels in the United States. The provincial response has been simply that they’ll match on a 40:60 ratio whatever
comes from Ottawa (meaning not a cent in new spending, as this editorial is being written), and lots of questions
as to whether farmers really need the money. (This at the same time that MPPs are considering 42 per cent pay increases
for themselves!)
There seems little recognition in Queen’s Park that the huge differential exists in public support for grain and
oilseed producers, and that this, coupled with an open border between us and the United States, means that Ontario
growers receive the same low prices created by U.S. subsidies and subsidy-enhanced production. In the case of corn,
this competition often comes in the form of trucks delivering U.S. product directly to the gates of industrial
users and feed manufacturers in Ontario.
Quebec recognizes the need to support its grain farmers at a level comparable to the United States, and it does
so even though Quebec is less wealthy than Ontario. Alberta, another province with a Progressive Conservative government,
has realized that its farmers cannot wait on federal intransigence, and has provided about $330 million in new
safety net support money since early 2000 - most of it going to grain and oilseed producers. Contrast this with
only $20 million in new money committed by Ontario, as its minimum obligation under the new federal-provincial
safety net agreement of March 2000. And the word ‘committed’ must be used, since Mr. Hardeman has apparently not
spent a penny of this money, continuing to delay in deciding how he’ll allocate the existing 2000/01 safety net
allocation for Ontario, almost eight months after the beginning of the fiscal year.
The Progressive Conservative government came into power with a high level of support among rural farmers - support
which persisted through its first term. But that support is unlikely to persist through two terms, given the speed
with which this goodwill has been frittered away, by a combination of procrastination, insensitivity and deliberate
chopping in recent months.
The good news is that the next Ontario election is not expected until 2003. There’s enough time for the PCs to
turn it around, before their actions and inactions of late cause too much damage in rural Ontario.
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