national
farmers union
national
farmers union
WASKATENAU, Alta. - "Food has an amazing way of bringing people together," said National Farmers Union President Cory Ollikka as he left to catch his flight east. Ollikka will be in Toronto today for the public launch of the "Family Farm Tribute", a unique concert and educational event being organized by Toronto MP Dennis Mills.
"Farmers and city people will be coming together in a wonderful way at the Air Canada Centre on January 16th," said Ollikka. "At a time when the farm community across this country is in urgent need of support and solidarity, the Tribute is an important and hopeful initiative. As the only national voluntary farm organization incorporated by Act of Parliament, the NFU is proud to be part of it."
"Throughout its 30-year history, the National Farmers Union has always recognized the importance of working with non-farmers," Ollikka continued. "After all, farm issues are food issues, and the family farm is the cornerstone of the system that brings healthy, nutritious food to everyone who eats."
"The NFU shares Mr. Mills' belief that urban Canadians care deeply about the family farm and the vital role it plays in our economy and society," he said. "This event, and its coast-to-coast media coverage, will give non-farm people in all parts of Canada the information and the opportunities they need to begin to put that caring into practice."
"As word of the Tribute spreads through our national 'grapevine', NFU members are expressing their excitement and enthusiasm," Ollikka told Mills. "Farmers especially appreciate that this effort is coming from the urban grassroots, and that it is non-partisan, non-government, and non-corporate. They want me to convey that appreciation to you, and to everyone who is involved in making this happen."
"If the farm crisis is to be solved," Ollikka concluded, "it will be thanks to all those 'ordinary Canadians' out there - farmers and non-farmers - who know that the survival of the family farm is vital to their own well-being and to that of the land itself. On January 16th and in the months that follow, it will be those people who will make the difference."
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