$1B for Canadian farmers

[stazy]

"Canadian farmers deserve an ally in Ottawa and that's what they've got,'' Harper said at a farm west of Saskatoon.

The investments fulfills an election promise to replace the Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization (CAIS) program with "more predictable, bankable and responsive to the cost-price squeeze," said Harper, speaking in a Quonset hut beside fellow Saskatchewan MPs and supporters.

The funding includes:

A $400-million direct payment to producers, to help address high production costs over the last four years

Another $600 million to kick-start new contributory-style producer savings accounts once agreements are reached with provinces and territories.

Link

This latest announcement is very similar to the cash injections promised for improving transit in Ontario and fighting greenhouse emissions in Alberta. The Conservatives are trying to bolster support by infusing their upcoming budget with several "carrots". If the budget passes, great, the money earmarked for these projects goes to worth while causes. If the budget fails, then voters have increased incentive to vote Conservative (At least that is what Harper is hoping).

What is interesting about this is that unlike the last election/budget, where their main carrot was the GST cut, the Conservatives seem to spreading themselves out a bit more.

[blueblood]

Harper you idiot!!! This is a baaaaaaaaaad idea. That billion dollars could have been spent creating input co-ops and helping out set up the biofuel industry which will help out much more than tossing a billion dollars around, these Liberal party spending policies don't work!

[jdobbin]

Harper you idiot!!! This is a baaaaaaaaaad idea. That billion dollars could have been spent creating input co-ops and helping out set up the biofuel industry which will help out much more than tossing a billion dollars around, these Liberal party spending policies don't work!

Other farmers that were commenting on the policy seemed to love it. In any case, it isn't likely to stop you voting Tory this election, is it?

[jenny]

"He's saying, 'Look there's $1 billion here that will be in the budget for you, if we are defeated, you're not going to get that money,"

[blueblood]

Harper you idiot!!! This is a baaaaaaaaaad idea. That billion dollars could have been spent creating input co-ops and helping out set up the biofuel industry which will help out much more than tossing a billion dollars around, these Liberal party spending policies don't work!

Other farmers that were commenting on the policy seemed to love it. In any case, it isn't likely to stop you voting Tory this election, is it?

Split 400 million by 245,000 farmers and what do you get --> 1633 bucks a farmer. That is a pittance. That doesn't help anyone. Inputs work out to well over 100,000 dollars and over. Reorganizing how farmers are taxed would help out much more, setting up input co-ops would help out much more, investing in the biofuel sector will help out much much much more.

yah i'll still be voting tory.

[jdobbin]

Split 400 million by 245,000 farmers and what do you get --> 1633 bucks a farmer. That is a pittance. That doesn't help anyone. Inputs work out to well over 100,000 dollars and over. Reorganizing how farmers are taxed would help out much more, setting up input co-ops would help out much more, investing in the biofuel sector will help out much much much more.

yah i'll still be voting tory.

Take it or leave it is basically what Harper has told people.

I doubt the rural vote is going to vote anything but Conservative.

[Posit]

Way to go..More farmer welfare...Just what we need...

[blueblood]

Way to go..More farmer welfare...Just what we need...

9 billion dollars to first nations, more native welfare just what we need.

[Topaz]

Way to go..More farmer welfare...Just what we need...

9 billion dollars to first nations, more native welfare just what we need.

It seems like there's always someone out there to drag the First Nation in. The topic is the farmer's and Harper and Harper has now spent 10 Billion DOLLARS out this past couple of weeks. This is not counting the money on the military, the war, the give aways to the people of Afghainstan, and all the others. I would like to know exactly how much of the taxpayers money he has spent. Wouldn't you??

[blueblood]

Believe me as an adamant supporter of Harper and being a part of the ag industry, I don't agree with this at all. One cannot cherrypick complaining about a group getting welfare when there are others getting some and more, I merely pointed that out.

[Posit]

Correction 9 billion dollars to Indian Affairs. less than 1% of that ever makes it to the Indians.

Band governments receive less that $5000 per person to handle administrative, community, social, education and health services. In comparison, the average city receives $12,000 per year per person which doesn't include health services. Factor in city health services and it is more like $25,000.

No it isn't native welfare. It is deliberately keeping First Nations as a ghetto state. Apartheid. Institutionalized racism. Genocide.

[geoffrey]

Oh poor farmers. Those that can sustain themselves, great. The rest need to leave the 1800's. I really hate sustaining industries that can't stand on their own two feet. Cars, farms, textiles.

Correction 9 billion dollars to Indian Affairs. less than 1% of that ever makes it to the Indians.

Band governments receive less that $5000 per person to handle administrative, community, social, education and health services. In comparison, the average city receives $12,000 per year per person which doesn't include health services. Factor in city health services and it is more like $25,000.

No it isn't native welfare. It is deliberately keeping First Nations as a ghetto state. Apartheid. Institutionalized racism. Genocide.

So cut the crap, pull 'em off reserves and let them live like the rest of us, no benefits, nothing.

Genocide is a little extreme don't you think? Your saying the Canadian government has a plan to erradicate an ethnic group from Canada?

[blueblood]

I really hate sustaining industries that can't stand on their own two feet. Cars, farms, textiles.

Welcome to how I feel about the entertainment industry.

[rrabbit]

Conservative politics aside, I just have to ask some questions about the agricultural industry.

Here in southern Saskatchewan when you're out and about in the countryside you see mostly large farms. I think the average is about 10 sections (square miles) and they usually have a couple million dollars in equipment and buildings etc.. Is this what it takes to raise and feed a single family to the basic mimimum these days out there? Isn't this really really bad margins and something that we shouldn't be pouring more money into? No other industry can afford to invest in such narrow margins. Or are these people taking down more than the basic mimumum needed to raise and feed a family? Are we really just subsidizing a lavish lifestyle of big fancy houses, shiny new trucks and trips to the Carribean and Hawaii for a wealthy elite in agriculture?

When it comes to complaining about aboriginals on welfare, farmers have to be among the worst. Yet even with all the land and resources which were stolen from aboriginals at gunpoint in their possession, they show up regularly at the government's door asking for "welfare" themselves to keep their lives hunky dory and food on the table.

There's something screwy and not quite right about the agricultural industry! I mean really, with all the land, equipment, infrastructure and financing they have at their disposal, shouldn't these big farms be a little more independent, a little less needy of government handouts than other sectors of our society?

If I owned ten sections of land and million dollars worth of equipment, I would sell most of it off, except maybe a quarter section to live on in a modest house and grow gardens for food. I'd be set for life in a grand lifestyle, minus the trips to the Carribean and a shiny new 3/4 ton every year of course. And I could raise and send a dozen children off to university to boot. I'd be so well off I wouldn't have animosity towards and maybe even feel a little guilty about people on welfare in the city.

Just what the hell is going on out there in the agricultural sector? I'm generally at a loss to understand what I see out there? And yeah, I'd be the first to admit I don't have a clue what the situation is for farmers and what their ambitions are? I do know some ex farming families here in the city who recently got out of the game and sold everything off. They seem to be fairly wealthy compared to rest of us here in the city with big houses, nice cars and trucks, and enough money to spend the rest of their lives boozing it up without a steady job. ?????????????????????????????????????

[blueblood]

This is why I don't like Harper making announcments like that, it creates problems.

[gc1765]

"I know what they're trying to do, they're obviously trying to buy the election"

-Stephen Harper, 2004 (after Paul Martin announced $1 billion for farmers, the same as what Harper has just done)

[geoffrey]

Canadians are at the point that they now expect sell outs to all the minorities. It's now just a matter of who sells more to their minority.

There isn't any ethics in it anymore. Whatever buys the votes.

Why support farmers though? It's a small block.

[Saturn]

Canadians are at the point that they now expect sell outs to all the minorities. It's now just a matter of who sells more to their minority.

There isn't any ethics in it anymore. Whatever buys the votes.

Why support farmers though? It's a small block.

Small block? It's 2% of the population. How many voters does Harper need to get to majority territory?

[stazy]

Canadians are at the point that they now expect sell outs to all the minorities. It's now just a matter of who sells more to their minority.

There isn't any ethics in it anymore. Whatever buys the votes.

Why support farmers though? It's a small block.

Small block? It's 2% of the population. How many voters does Harper need to get to majority territory?

Supporting farmers is a win-win situation for the government. Not only do they buy the rural vote, but they improve their image nationally as a government that sticks up for the little guy. (Of course this doesn't apply to all persons, but generally speaking I think it holds true).

Harper must be careful not to let these spending promises get out of control though. He may soon start to appear out of control if these billion dollar giveaways continue. Perhaps he's daring the opposition to bring down the government?

[Posit]

Of course the announcement is an election ploy. The timing of the announcement is not unlike Martin's. Harper knows an election is inevitable - if not in early summer then the fall. He is simply positioning himself in case his government falls, or he strategically calls the fall election in an attempt to get a majority.

In the end he'll never have to pay out the $1 billion since some crisis will be invented if his government gets re-elected, or he can blame the opposition for the death of the program if he doesn't.

As to farmer's poor economy, maybe they should privatize all their lands, divide them up into little plots and sell them off for subdivisions, garbage dumps or open pit mines. Seems to have worked well for Ontario Farmers....

[blueblood]

The poor economy of farmers is due to market glut caused by ridiculous policy of governments as of late to keep producing more to make money, well we've produced too much and have a demand problem. Biofuels is correcting this little problem.

I do not approve of the handing out of these welfare style cheques, it helps nothing. At least invest it in something where they can get their money back (i.e. biofuels, energy, etc.).

This also divides the country up more by pitting people against each other, this reeks of LPOC style politics.

[Who's Doing What?]

The poor economy of farmers is due to market glut caused by ridiculous policy of governments as of late to keep producing more to make money, well we've produced too much and have a demand problem. Biofuels is correcting this little problem.

I do not approve of the handing out of these welfare style cheques, it helps nothing. At least invest it in something where they can get their money back (i.e. biofuels, energy, etc.).

This also divides the country up more by pitting people against each other, this reeks of LPOC style politics.

And yet you already said you will still vote for these guys again.

By still giving them your support you are in effect condoning their actions.

[blueblood]

The poor economy of farmers is due to market glut caused by ridiculous policy of governments as of late to keep producing more to make money, well we've produced too much and have a demand problem. Biofuels is correcting this little problem.

I do not approve of the handing out of these welfare style cheques, it helps nothing. At least invest it in something where they can get their money back (i.e. biofuels, energy, etc.).

This also divides the country up more by pitting people against each other, this reeks of LPOC style politics.

And yet you already said you will still vote for these guys again.

By still giving them your support you are in effect condoning their actions.

I know, Well it's the lesser of two evils.

[Posit]

Ya? Well before the last election didn't you think Harper was your Savior?

[gc1765]

Why support farmers though? It's a small block.

My guess is it sounds good....kind of like "support the troops"