I went through a lot of rural communities today. We did a press conference in Winnipeg with Kate Storey, my agriculture critic. Kate is a grain and cattle farmer, and we did a press conference on the Green Party’s policies to support family farms and local agriculture. Local food production is important for a number of reasons. Good agricultural practices are sustainable. Food production can sustain families and communities. With the price of energy rising, there will be an increasing need for local food. With more and more extreme weather events, it will be important to have self-sustaining communities in case of transport challenges.
Farmers are the only sector of society that struggle to survive while continuing to provide a service to Canadians without being compensated. Farmers not only provide food, but often help maintain a sound environment and healthy ecology. Many agricultural practices help to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. The Green Party wants to give farmers benefits for making the right choices for sustainable agriculture and ecological security. We would also provide incentives and support for family farms moving to organic production. We know that the family farm is an essential element to Canadian food security, to sustaining rural communities and promoting healthy living.
Kate Storey spoke out today about the need for the government to stop manipulating the Wheat Board. The interference in the public sector has been consistent and scandalous in the years of the Harper government. From the wheat board to the nuclear safety commission, Stephen Harper has proven that he does not respect the decision-making of any civil servant or independent agent. In fact, it’s pretty clear that he doesn’t want to hear the concerns of any Canadian.
I have been reaching out to small communities through my whistle stop rallies on this cross-country train tour. It has been an encouraging experience and an exciting campaign, gathering momentum, energy and support from coast to coast. The only downside of travelling on VIA schedules is that I have very little time to spend in each community I visit. The people in Hinton who came to greet me on the train platform got nothing more than a wave from the train window. (I wasn’t able to reach the right door in time to step off the train.) My favourite part of any campaign is talking to people, hearing their concerns and trying to reach them with our policies and our message. I’ve had a few opportunities to speak to individuals on the train tour, but mainly I am speaking with media. At least, I am able to reach local media sources and take questions from local journalists about their concerns. From what I have heard, the Prime Minister doesn’t often take questions from anyone.
With every rally, every stop on this train tour, another issue and another aspect of Green policy is highlighted. There are a lot of regional concerns in this country: poverty and homelessness in downtown Vancouver (and other urban centres), poor growing seasons in the Prairies and job loss in Northern Ontario. We’ve been addressing those issues as we cross the country. There are also a lot of global issues, national issues that touch home in local communities: the climate crisis, the price of energy, the war in Afghanistan and the conditions on First Nations reserves. Fundamentally, Canadians share many values. Canadians care about their neighbours and want their friends and family to be healthy, to have access to education, to feel safe and have reliable employment opportunities. There is nothing to prevent us in Canada from achieving the highest quality in healthcare, in universal childcare, in University education, in environmental protection. We only have to reach out and listen to each other.