CONSERVATIVES FAIL FAMILY FARMERS SAYS HUGHES
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes
OTTAWA, ON –New Democrats today called on the Conservative government to stop just paying lip service to Canada’s hard working farmers and to start taking real action to help. In a speech to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture today, New Democrat MP Carol Hughes outlined her party’s position on important agricultural issues facing Canadian farmers.
“In the past 15 years farm debt has tripled, we have lost 80,000 Canadian farms and the number of young farmers has gone from 77,000 to 22,000” said Hughes, the MP for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing. “It is shameful that this Government has no plan to ensure Canada has a strong farming community, and thereby ensure a healthy and affordable food supply for the future.”
In the speech Hughes praised the CFA’s National Food Strategy noting that her colleague Alex Atamanenko, her party’s agriculture critic, has been criss-crossing Canada on his “Food for Thought” tour talking with Canadian Farmers, young and old, from across the country.
Hughes also chastised both the Conservative and Liberal parties for recently voting down a New Democrat bill which would have supported Canadian farmers by requiring that a study of any potential harm to export markets be conducted before the sale of any new genetically engineered seed is permitted.
“When we defend farmers’ right to a single desk at the Canadian Wheat Board it’s about countering the power of big agribusiness and rail monopolies,” said Hughes. “And when when we table legislation to ban terminator seeds we’re protecting farmers’ right to re-use their own seeds. These are practical things we can do to make agricultural more sustainable in Canada. It is time for Harper to start listening to farmers and stop taking them for granted.”
