Scrap CAIS, Scrap the Gun Registry, Scrap a Portion of the
GST and Restore Confidence in the Farm Industry

Estevan- Ed Komarnicki, Member of Parliament for Souris-Moose Mountain was pleased with Conservative Leader, Stephen Harper’s agriculture announcement. It scraps the CAIS program that has been a bureaucratic nightmare and a source of frustration to many farmers. It was a failure and it had to go.

“It needed to be replaced with a program that is far simpler and that takes into account cost of production and market revenues as I have always advocated,” said Komarnicki. “Contrary to Liberal rumour, the Conservatives will honour the $755 million proposed by the Liberals in emergency assistance and will ensure that it is delivered as quickly as possible. It will also add $500 million to farm support programs for disaster relief for a total of $1.25 billion dollars of additional commitment. The $500 million will be an annual commitment added to farm support programs for disaster relief.”

A Conservative government will also require a 5 per cent renewable content, such as ethanol or biodiesel, in gasoline or diesel fuels. This will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but will add opportunities to farmers and rural communities which will not only create a new economy but additional jobs. The announcement relating to ethanol and biodiesel has the potential to produce over 15 billion litres of renewable fuel per year and would create a demand for approximately 200 million bushels of agricultural commodities such as wheat, corn and canola. “This can only be a win win situation,” said Komarnicki.

“The Conservative Party understands,” said Komarnicki, “that the family farm has long been a backbone of our country. For generations, our farmers have fed Canadians and have become a bread basket to the world. Farmers need our support. Farm incomes are down. The Liberals have admitted that the value of grain and oil-seed production is down approximately $2 billion this year compared with the average over the past 10 years. Beef and cattle producers have lost over $7 billion. The Liberals have failed to adequately address this situation. The Conservative party will do better.”

“As I have advocated in the House of Commons, we will continue the farm improvement loan guarantee and will ensure an extension of the program to new farmers. This is the same program the Liberals intended to scrap until pressure was brought to bear by financial institutions and Members of Parliament in the House of Commons,” Komarnicki added.

The Conservative Party will give Western grain farmers the freedom to make their own marketing and transportation decisions. Western grain farmers should be able to participate voluntarily in the Canadian Wheat Board, something that farmers in eastern Canada have been able to do with their marketing board.

“There is no doubt in my mind that most farmers will be happy to see a reduction in the GST, the scrapping of the ill-fated gun registry and the scrapping of the more than frustrating CAIS program,” Komarnicki said.