national
farmers union
national
farmers union
WASKATENAU, Alta. - "The NFU is shocked and dismayed at the irresponsible comments made yesterday by the President of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association," said Cory Ollikka, President of the National Farmers Union. Ollikka was responding to a Jan. 6/00 National Post article detailing the WCWGA's plans to hold their upcoming convention in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and to a CBC interview done by the WCWGA President, Kevin Archibald, on the same topic. Archibald alluded that farmers should not be asking for government money and that farmers attending the WCWGA convention deserve the tax-deductible holidays.
"In the midst of the worst farm income disaster since the dirty thirties, the Wheat Growers have shown their farming neighbours and peers that they are seriously out of step with the realities of most farm families. I hope rural and urban Canadians don't allow such foolish comments by a single, ideological commodity organization to derail the efforts needed to bring emergency assistance to the Canadian farmers who desperately need it," said Ollikka.
Many farmers and farm groups have been working tirelessly for months to make our governments understand the severity of the farm income crisis caused by weather and market-related disasters. Even the WCWGA has accepted Saskatchewan-government-sponsored trips to Ottawa to participate in the lobby efforts for assistance.
"It's no secret that the NFU and the WCWGA don't often see eye-to-eye on policy matters, but even I have trouble believing that they can be this callous and contemptuous toward their fellow farmers and prarie communities," said Ollikka. "If the WCWGA and their corporate sponsors can afford to holiday and convention in Mexico that's their business; I'm sure that kind of disregard for Canadian communities and economies like those of prarie cities like Regina or Winnipeg won't go unnoticed. I am very concerned, though, what effect the Wheat Grower's convention and comments will have on the policy makers who are struggling with the farm income crisis," added the NFU President. "I guess only time will tell if Ottawa will use this situation to justify more inaction on the crisis."
Ollikka also added that the policies of deregulation and liberalized trade that the WCWGA espouse haven't helped farmers either. "Since the federal government started deregulating grain transportation, freight rates have gone up 700%. Since our government has been pursuing liberalized trade, realized-net farm income has fallen despite the doubling of agriculture exports over ten years. Farmers are tired of 'taking it on the chin' for government policies that the likes of the WCWGA support that are driving farmers off the land. Mr.Archibald's attitude and recent comments simply add insult to that injury," concluded Ollikka.
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