A number of Alberta MPs have gotten together to try and find ways to help farmers struggling with harvest.
Several producers in southern Alberta had this year’s harvest cut short because of adverse weather conditions the past number of weeks.
Foothills MP John Barlow says they’re committed to working with provincial counterparts and agriculture ministers to ensure farmers make it through the crisis.
“This is a growing crisis that puts the stability and future of our agricultural sector at risk,” Barlow says. “The financial strain of this developing crisis could jeopardize the financial stability for many farm families and has the potential to impact the mental health of struggling farmers in our communities. The federal government must act quickly to respond to the real struggles of impacted farm families and in the short term could look at adjustments to the cash advance program.”
Barlow says the federal government must act quickly.
Barlow and his colleagues have committed to a number of measures including:
• Meet with the Alberta Government counterparts to collaborate on solutions to assist;
• Demand that the Trudeau Liberals immediately complete the Business Risk Management Review promised two and a half years ago, as requested by industry and stakeholders;
• Call on the government to make agriculture relief programs more responsive to farmers in need and remove arbitrary boundaries in determining tax relief and benefits;
• Call on the government to aggressively work to reopen the Chinese market for Canadian canola; and
• Call on the government to halt its plan to impose the Carbon Tax in Alberta. These additional costs for natural gas and fuel, used for drying crops and transportation will cause additional harm to struggling farm families.
