Tobacco Farmers Given 'False Hopes' by Conservatives, Dion Says

Source from:  simcoereformer.ca Monday January 21, 2008 01/22/2008

Solution includes transition to new crops: Liberal leader Monte Sonnenberg SIMCOE REFORMER Federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion says the Harper government should be ashamed of itself for raising false hopes of a quota buyout in tobacco country. Were the Liberals in power, Dion said his party would have handled the issue much differently. "The first thing you do is not come with broken promises as the Conservatives have done," he said during a whistle-stop visit Saturday to a large greenhouse operation east of Dunnville. "I will not come like the Conservatives with false hopes." Dion said a Liberal solution would include transition assistance to other types of farming. He cited ginseng as an alternative crop that holds promise. Federal officials in Ottawa have been discussing an orderly wind down of tobacco farming with the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers Marketing Board for the past two years. Tobacco farmers have become increasingly angry and frustrated as the negotiations drag on with no end in sight. Meanwhile, the crop has dwindled to the point where farmers can't justify it financially. As well, the crop is too small to justify the continued existence of the marketing board in its current format. Tom McElhone of Waterford, chair of the marketing board, debriefed Dion on the progress of negotiations during a closed-door meeting. McElhone said in his report that growers face enormous challenges. He added, however, that there is cause for optimism. "We are pleased to report to you that we have made great progress with the federal government on this in our discussions with (Agriculture) Minister (Gerry) Ritz," McElhone said in a prepared statement to Dion. "He committed to us that he wanted to resolve this matter. We have reason to believe this will be dealt with in short order by the federal government." Dion was greeted at the Flora Rosa greenhouse operation by, among others, Brant MP Lloyd St. Amand and Dr. Eric Hoskins, the Liberal candidate in Haldimand-Norfolk in the next federal election. St. Amand gave assurances that Dion is frequently updated on the tobacco file. "The grave issues concerning the tobacco sector are front and centre with our rural caucus," St. Amand said. "We want to end these so-called 'high level' meetings that have been going on now for two years and which have solved nothing." While Dion was in Dunnville, Norfolk Mayor Dennis Travale spoke about the tobacco belt's efforts to retool and diversify its economy. Travale told Dion that federal and provincial assistance will be needed if the answer is heavy industry because roads and bridges in this part of Ontario can't handle truck traffic as well as initially assumed. "If we don't have the infrastructure, we may as well forget about shopping around for new industry," Travale said in an interview. Brenda Lammens, chair of the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, also spoke to Dion in the closed-door meeting about the challenges facing her members. She urged Dion to support a return in Ottawa to self-directed risk management programs for growers who can't get production insurance coverage. She also told Dion to remember that "one-size-fits-all" programming doesn't work in Canada; that the federal government serves hugely diversified agricultural sectors from region to region. She also told Ottawa to come clean with Canadians about this country's labelling standards: "More and more Canadians are becoming concerned about the country of origin of the food products they consume," Lammens said in her prepared statement. "Canadian labelling regulations are both out of date and very misleading. "When people read 'Product of Canada' on the label, they typically believe that the statement is referring to the contents when, in fact, it may be referring to the container itself. Canadians, by and large, trust our Canadian food distribution system and want to buy Canadian-produced food but are both confused and dismayed at the misrepresentation of our labelling system." Enditem