Update on Equity of Federal
Spending
The issue of inter-provincial equity has come to the fore,
again, as Canadian agriculture ministers consider how federal spending on safety net
programs should be allocated. Not surprisingly, OCPA has encountered some reaction to its
request that federal safety net funds be allocated in a more equitable manner, than at
present.
The following data are of interest. The first table shows federal safety net spending
across provinces, compared to market receipts from sales of non supply-managed farm
commodities. The second table shows total spending on agriculture and food as a percent of
the agricultural and agri-food GDP (gross domestic product) in each province.


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