The Rural Voice, 2003-04, Page 54Ag News
Steckle angered by electronic petition
An electronic petition protesting
the federal government's inflexibility
on the Agricultural Policy
Framework jammed the computer
networks of members of parliament
in Ottawa last week and left Huron -
Bruce MP Paul Steckle fuming.
"You didn't help yourself at all,"
Steckle told those attending the
Huron County Federation of
Agriculture's Members of Parliament
Dinner March 22 in Clinton.
While Steckle acknowledged that
the computer breakdown was also
partly because of a heavy load of e-
mails dealing with Canada's position
on the war on Iraq, "You are going to
be the ones who are going to take the
blame," particularly among urban
MPs.
The petition, which originated with
the Huron Federation, created
400,000 "hits" on the parliamentary
e-mail system in a matter of hours.
But Henry Damsma of the' HCF.A
get
facts
said the problem caused by the
"electronic tractor demonstration"
was with the House of Commons
system not being set up properly. The
system in the U.S. capital doesn't
break down in heavier traffic than
what the Ottawa system was
subjected to, he claimed.
Steckle accepted a written petition
from the Federation at the meeting
and promised to deliver it to the
House of Commons.0
Ontario won't be signing without
approval of farm groups, Johns says
Continued from page 49
signing". But she warned there are
potential dangers for Ontario farmers
in not signing the agreement by the
March 31 deadline. If the federal
government was aggressive it could
cut off money to Ontario for farm
programs and the province would be
"challenged" to be able to find
enough money to help Ontario
farmers without the federal 60 per
cent funding of programs. It's
possible Ottawa will flow money for
NISA and crop insurance even if the
business risk management "pillar" of
the APF isn't in place, she said but
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she said she didn't want farm leaders
to overlook the worst possibility if
the federal government remains
intransigent.
Johns also said that the province is
expecting money from the federal
government under the
"environmental pillar" of the APF to
help farmers meet their requirements
under the Nutrient Management Act.
"Our goal is that there will be
$15,000 for farmers to do capital
work for the NMA," he said. "We're
depending on the federal money
under the environmental pillar."0
Small abattoirs
caught in food
safety squeeze
If small rural abattoirs are caught
in a squeeze between toughening
food safety regulations and economic
realities, Agriculture and Food
Minister Helen Johns feels squeezed
too.
When a municipal politician at the
March 22 Members of Parliament
meeting in Clinton mentioned the
plight of small abattoirs trying to
meet tougher provincial guidelines,
Johns admitted it's a tough issue. As
the province moves closer to federal
food inspection regulations it's hard"
on the little abattoirs but if we don't
move to federal guidelines and
something snuck through, there
could be a scandal that would hurt
exports and the entire agri-food
industry.
On one hand she wants to keep
food processing alive in her own
riding but on the other: "How could 1
look people in the face if something
went wrong and people got sick?"0