HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-04-29, Page 5Effective in Caucus
Riddell back as farm critic
The re -appointment of
Jack Riddell as Agriculture
Critic for the Ontario
Liberal Caucus was an-
nounced at Queen's Park
last week by Opposition
Liberal Leader Stuart
Smith. Riddell was recently
elected to a fourth con-
secutive term as MPP for
the riding of Huron -
Middlesex.
In making the appoint-
ment Smith called Riddell,
"one of the most effective
members in our Caucus, and
a stinging debater in the
Legislature. He's also one of
the most knowledgeable peo-
ple in Ontario in the field of
agriculture and food."
A farmer by trade, Riddell
has served as the Liberal's
Agriculture spokesman
since 1977. Partly through
his hard work and pressure,
the Government agreed to
set up a Royal Commission
Inquiry into Food Prices in
1978.
"That Commission
became a whitewash, unfor-
tunately," says Riddell.
"There are still some very
bad practices of discounting
going on in the food industry,
and our farmers are the real
victims.
We'll just have to put
more pressure on the
Government to realize that
when you hurt the farmers,
you hurt consumers too."
"The refusal of the
Minister of Agriculture and
Give us this day
Please
help the
Red Shield Appeal
Food, to participate in an
emergency debate on the
financial crisis facing
Ontario's farming com-
munity clearly shows that
the Ontario Govermnent has
a total lack of concern
regarding this most serious
problem," claims Huron -
Middlesex MPP Jack Rid-
dell.
"To simply state that high
interest rates are a federal
responsibility ignores the
fact that Ontario is one of the
few Provinces in the country
not to have instituted an
extensive and well used set
of low interest programs for
its farmers," he added.
The facts of farming life
are extremely chilling. In
1980, farm bankruptcies
increased 91 percent over the
previous year and, for the
first three months of this
year, bankruptcies in-
creased 77 percent over the
same period last year.
The Ontario Federation of
Agriculture estimates that
for every farm bankruptcy
recorded in Ontario, there
are at least 10 other farmers
who decide to get off the land
while they still have some
equity left in the business.
The Liberal agriculture
critic said that as farmers
are leaving the land in
frustration or are forced off
by bankruptcy, all too often
that land is being sold to
foreigh investors who have
no intention within the
foreseeable future of coming
to this country to farm the
land or to developers who
will seek other ways than
farming of making a profit
off the land.
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Call
8 p.m. - 10 p.m.
229-6795
"This can only have a
negative effect on the
provincial economy, con-
sidering that the farm
community not only provides
us with food for domestic
consumption but also
provides employment for
thousands of people," he
warned.
"I firmly believe that this
Government must introduce
an immediate emergency
interest program to prevent
further farm bankruptcies.
The farming industry in
Ontario needs assistance
now and if the Minister of
Agriculture is not prepared
to accept the responsibility
for initiating such a
program, I will have no other
choice than to call for his
resignation."
Times -Advocate, April 29, 1911
Foy 5k
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