While some in the agriculture sector were frustrated by the lack of direct commitments, others saw potential for more action in the future and overlap between files.

The mandate letter, released Wednesday, contained seven priorities for the government, most of which focused on economic issues and Canadian sovereignty.

‘We expect clear commitments’

Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) Executive Director Massimo Bergamini said he was surprised to see no mention of issues like food security, something the Liberal Party highlighted in its election platform.

“We are certainly hoping that the next week’s Speech from the Throne will correct that oversight and will ensure that the food security for Canadians is in fact a priority for the government.”

“There’s a reference to … affordability and cost of living and all those things,” he said. “I guess food security kind of falls in that. But it’s quite generic. The platform was very explicit.”

Bergamini said he saw hope in the fact that new Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald was named last week to the Build Canada cabinet committee, which will deal with overall economic strength and productivity.

“I found that to be important and aligned with the high-level issues around food security and resiliency of agriculture, potentially,” he said.

Bergamini said while it’s encouraging to see these issues discussed, agricultural issues should be addressed more directly.

“I understand a lot of this stuff is shorthand, right?” He said. “You can read the tea leaves.”

“But we shouldn’t be Kremlinologists here today, right?” said Bergamini. “We shouldn’t have to go through this when it comes to food security, when it comes to agriculture. I think it’s fair to say that we expect clear commitments.”

Sector-relevant issues

The mandate letter did mention several sector-relevant issues like establishing a new economic relationship with the United States and removing interprovincial trade barriers.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture sees “the potential for strong alignment between many of the Prime Minister’s priorities and the priorities of Canadian farmers,” it said in a statement to Glacier FarmMedia.

“Whether it’s strengthening trade with key partners, improving interprovincial commerce, building a resilient national economy, or addressing agricultural workforce challenges, these are all areas where agriculture has a critical role to play,” the statement read.

No need to be ‘small minded’

Lauren Martin, Senior Director of Public Affairs for the Canadian Meat Council (CMC) said she does not think a lack of agriculture-specific messaging means Carney is abandoning the sector.

“To be reasonable about this, his priorities aren’t very sector-specific,” Martin said. “I think he’s taking this, as I understand a prime minister would, his level is very nationalistic.”

Martin suggested Carney would be looking to his cabinet members like Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson to find some quick wins.

“That, to me, is where I hope to see some sector-specific stuff shape out.”

Martin said she was not concerned about a sudden policy shift away from agriculture.

”I don’t we shouldn’t be small minded about this,” she said.

“The Prime Minister has a number of different priorities, and I personally don’t need to see the words of agriculture on his lips to make me feel that this sector is seen, heard and important.”

The agriculture sector could help Canada level up economically, Martin said.

“I think as long as (Carney has) got that enabling mindset to let us lead, then it’s up to the sector to kind of work and advocate, to dismantle and move the needle.”

The speech from the throne, which will further establish the new government’s priorities is set to take place next week.

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Jacques Gourde will take over as associate shadow minister. Gourde is the MP for Lévis—Lotbinière.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre released his new list of shadow cabinet ministers Wednesday afternoon.

Barlow held the role of shadow ag minister before the recent election. Gourd will replace previous associate shadow minister Warren Steinley, the MP for Regina-Lewvan.

Gourde has previously served as assistant critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and minister for the Canadian Wheat Board. He also served twice on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Barlow expressed his gratitude for the position in a Wednesday Facebook post.

“I’m honoured to have been appointed by the Honourable Pierre Poilievre to serve as Shadow Minister for Agriculture & Agri-Food in the 45th Parliament,” Barlow wrote. “I look forward to once again working with farmers, ranchers and producers from across Canada and championing Canadian agriculture.”

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It was announced that MacDonald would inherit the role at the first post-election cabinet shuffle under prime minister Mark Carney May 13.

Macdonald represents the riding of Malpeque in Prince Edward Island, just west of Cardigan, the riding previously held by former agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay. MacDonald has previously served on the House of Commons agriculture committee.

Provincially, he served as finance minister in P.E.I.

Before getting involved in politics, he worked in the province’s tourism sector.

Industry urges immediate action

In a written statement, Grain Growers of Canada welcomed incoming members of cabinet, including MacDonald, while also urging “immediate action to support grain farmers and protect the viability of the sector.”

Executive director Kyle Larkin said GGC has worked productively with McDonald in the past.

“We’ve had conversations on a number of different topics, be they carbon taxation or capital gains tax, or even ag research,” Larkin said.

“He’s always been someone who comes to the table or brings the perspective of that finance business background.”

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture welcomed MacDonald specifically in its own written statement released shortly after the cabinet shuffle, saying it is eager to work with him.

“We look forward to a productive relationship with minister MacDonald. Canadian agriculture is a critical juncture, with the recent dramatic rise of trade uncertainty, while combatting high costs and more frequent extreme weather events” CFA president Keith Currie, said in the statement.

“During the recent election, CFA has made the priorities of Canadian farmers very clear. Farmers need to see a focus on competitiveness, resiliency and maintaining rule-based trade.”

The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance likewise expressed its intent to work with MacDonald in the future.

Make food security a priority

Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada executive director Massimo Bergamini said in a written statement that the organization looks forward to working with MacDonald and the new cabinet on shared goals for the sector.

“Fresh, quality and nutritious fruit and vegetables don’t grow themselves — policies that support growers are as important as soil, water and sun,” said Bergamini.

“The federal government must act quickly to deliver modern business risk management and mitigation programs, predictable access to labour, effective and safe crop protection tools, investment in greenhouse agriculture and trade policy that reflects the realities of a perishable, seasonal sector.

“With one in five households struggling with food security and visits to food banks at an all-time high, the government’s election commitment to making food security a priority in this new Parliament is one Canada’s fruit and vegetable growers can get behind.… We stand ready to work with agriculture minister MacDonald and all parliamentarians on this shared priority.”

Minister should get to know rest of country

MacDonald is the third straight agriculture minister from Atlantic Canada and the second of those three from P.E.I, meaning regional representation could still be a problem. Larkin said MacDonald should undertake early efforts to better understand farming across the country.

“When Parliament rises at the end of June, I would very much recommend that he goes on a tour across Canada to meet with producers in every single province, to understand the issues that they’re facing.”

“Farming in Saskatchewan on a 5,000-acre farm is certainly different than farming on a farm in Ontario that may only be 400 acres — different crops, different soil conditions, different weather patterns,” Larkin said.

“I very much recommend he gets out there to meet with as many producers as possible across the country so that he can come back in the fall with a full perspective of all the issues.”

In the West, the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan said in a statement it is “particularly pleased to welcome the honourable Heath MacDonald as Canada’s new minister of agriculture and agri-food and is eager to work collaboratively on advancing policies that support Saskatchewan producers and enhance the national agricultural sector.”

Grain Farmers of Ontario said it “looks forward to continuing its work with the federal government to ensure a policy environment that enhances the sector’s global competitiveness.”

The organization also thanked outgoing minister Kody Blois, who briefly held the role starting March 2025.

Blois departure a surprise

Blois’s departure may have been a surprise to much of the agriculture world, where many farmers and commodity groups previously expressed their support for him.

Agri-Food Innovation Council chief executive officer Serge Buy also said he thought Blois was “extremely qualified and competent for the role.”

Larkin said it came as a surprise to see Blois not returning to the file.

“He has and had a very good reputation, not only with groups in Ottawa, but actually producers across the country, farmers I’ve spoken to, be they in the Prairies or be they out east.”

Still, he said there was reason to hope for positive changes under MacDonald, though it may take time for him to win the trust of producers.

“Many of the producers that we represent don’t know who Heath McDonald is,” he said.

“But I think he does have the next few months to build his profile with the sector and meet with as many producers as possible. And that’s why I think it’s important for him to get out this summer to really connect with folks.”

Larkin said the two quick policy changes he hopes to see MacDonald push for are a formal reversal of the capital gains tax changes and a permanent removal of the carbon tax for on-farm activities.

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Carney announced his new cabinet this morning in a ceremony at Rideau Hall.

MacDonald has previously served on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food. He represents the riding of Malpeque in Prince Edward Island, which borders Cardigan, the riding previously represented by recent agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay.

Provincially, MacDonald served as finance minister in P.E.I.

The decision will likely come as a surprise to many in the agriculture industry, where farmers and commodity groups expressed their support for outgoing agriculture minister Kody Blois.

Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Keith Currie and Grain Growers of Canada executive director Kyle Larkin and chair Tara Sawyer praised Blois and said in post-election interviews with Glacier FarmMedia that they hoped to see him return.

Agri-Food Innovation Council chief executive officer Serge Buy also said he thought Blois was “extremely qualified and competent for the role.”

Other notable changes in today’s cabinet shuffle include:

• Dominic Leblanc taking on responsibility for Canada-U.S. trade and “one Canadian economy.”
• Maninder Sidhu in as minister of international trade.
• Lena Metlege Diab in as minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship.
• Julie Dabrusin in as minister of environment and climate change.

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“I know we need Pierre fighting in the House of Commons to hold the Liberal minority government to account,” Kurek said in a statement. “This is what’s best for Canada, and is what’s best for Battle River-Crowfoot.”

Kurek has represented the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot since 2019.

In an upset, Poilievre lost his long-time seat in the Ontario riding of Carleton to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy in Monday’s federal election.

Poilievre, in a post on X, called Kurek’s resignation “selfless,” and said he accepted the offer with “humility and appreciation.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a Friday news conference that he would call a byelection as soon as possible, CBC reported.

Kurek is a fifth-generation farmer, his website says. During his time in parliament, he served on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, among others. He also served as deputy shadow minister for Rural Economic Development and Broadband Strategy.

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“A strong, resilient agriculture sector is vital to the health, economy, and security of our entire nation,” said Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Keith Currie in a statement.

“As Canada faces increasing pressures from international trade tensions, now is the time for strong leadership and bold investment in the competitiveness and resilience of Canada’s agricultural sector.”

The CFA said it’s eager to meet with the new government to advance priorities like supporting farmers through tariff uncertainty, reducing interprovincial trade barriers and improving risk management.

The Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) urged Carney’s Liberals to “act swiftly” on capital gains tax reversals and against tariffs from the U.S. and China.

For more election coverage visit the Western Producer’s elections page.

“From rising input costs and global market uncertainty to transportation bottlenecks and regulatory pressures, producers are facing a growing list of challenges that require immediate federal attention,” said GGC Executive Director Kyle Larkin in a Tuesday statement.

“Grain farmers are ready to be an equal partner with government in growing Canada’s economy,” said Larkin.

Grain Farmers of Ontario also reiterating federal policy asks like tax fairness, U.S.-Canada free trade and investments in various agri-food and processing initiatives.

Alberta Grains reiterated eagerness to sit at the table with the federal government. “The current trade environment underscores the need for robust support and advocacy at the federal level,” said second vice-chair Devin Hartzler.

Serge Buy, CEO of the Agri-Food Innovation Council (AIC) said in a statement he believes “there will be stability for the next year or two, even though this was a minority.”

The AIC welcomed proposed Liberal policy like product labelling to encourage consumers to “buy Canadian,” reviews of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA).

Results see gains for Liberals, Conservatives 

Canada’s Conservative Party fell short of the electoral win projected months ago prior to the resignation of former prime minister Justin Trudeau but still closed the 41-seat gap with the federal Liberals late in the evening April 28. Seat gains came largely from seats swinging away from the Bloc Québécois and NDP. 

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was running second in his Carleton riding and congratulated Carney as he addressed his supporters late last night, suggesting he would remain as the Conservative party leader. 

“My promise to all of you is that anybody from anywhere can achieve anything. Through hard work you can lead a great life and get a nice affordable home on a safe street,” he told his followers to rousing applause. “My purpose in politics is, and will continue to be, to restore that promise.” 

One thing was clear: support for the NDP collapsed. Leader Jagmeet Singh was running third in his B.C. riding at the time of writing and the party was in danger of losing its official party status. 

Late last night Singh addressed his supporters and told them he intended to step down as leader. 

As of this morning, the Liberals won 166 seats, Progressive Conservatives won 144, Bloc Quebecois had 23, NDP had 7 and the Green Party won 1 seat. 

Conservatives dominate west 

The Conservatives maintained dominance in Western Canadian rural ridings, sweeping most of Alberta, and southern regions of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. 

The NDP lost two seats in Manitoba and one of their two in Edmonton to the Liberals, and were also trailing in British Columbia. 

The Liberals broke through in Saskatchewan, as former provincial NDP cabinet minister and long-time MLA Buckley Belanger won the redrawn northern seat of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River, which had been Conservative. The remainder of the province stayed blue, re-electing former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer in Regina-Qu’Appelle and standing agriculture committee member Warren Steinley in Regina-Lewvan. 

In Manitoba, the seven rural ridings remain represented by Conservative members, while in Winnipeg the Liberals were elected or leading in six seats. 

Alberta’s 37 ridings went overwhelmingly Conservative, with the party elected or leading in 35 seats. That includes agriculture critic John Barlow who was re-elected in Foothills. 

Former NDP agriculture critic Alistair MacGregor was running second to the Conservative candidate in his Vancouver Island riding. 

Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who also represents a Vancouver Island seat, was re-elected, as was Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet. 

Eastern Canada election night highlights 

Conservatives dominated most rural ridings in Ontario. 

In Atlantic Canada, Kody Blois (Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food under Mark Carney’s short period as prime minister prior to the election) held onto his seat in Kings-Hants, Nova Scotia. Heath MacDonald, a former member of the standing committee on agriculture and agri-food was also re-elected in his riding of Malpeque, PEI. 

In Quebec, agriculture committee vice-chair Yves Perron of the Bloc Québécois was re-elected in Berthier-Maskinongé. Conservative Jason Groleau won the seat for Beauce, replacing former agriculture committee member and fellow Conservative Richard Lehoux, who did not run in the 2025 election. 

Conservative Luc Luc Berthold, former chair of the agriculture committee, also won his seat back in Mégantic-L’Érable-Lotbinière. 

Likewise, Conservative incumbent Liane Rood, also a former agriculture committee member, won her riding of Middlesex-London. 

Conservative Ben Lobb, who sponsored bill C-234, An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, won his sixth term in Huron-Bruce. 

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Two reports from the university’s Simpson Centre, titled “Voices from the Field: The 2025 Federal Elections Project” outline the results of a national survey of 979 farmers, conducted with Stratus Ag Research. The results cover voting intentions and policy priorities among Canadian producers.

For more election coverage and analysis visit the Western Producer’s election page.

The results showed just under 70 per cent of surveyed producers said the Conservative Party best represents their interest. Those numbers are even higher in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The numbers from the survey differ from general election polls like Nanos and Canada388, which put Liberals at around 42 per cent of the popular vote and Conservatives around 39 per cent.

Support for the Liberal party showed mild division among farmers in the survey. The Liberals were the least favoured political part, with 34.2 per cent of farmers ranking them last. However, they were also second most favoured party, with 15.3 per cent of farmers’ vote.

Quebec was the main regional outlier where Conservatives ranked third among 103 respondents after the Bloc Quebecois and Liberals.

Farmers’ election priorities

Supply management protection was the top issue for Quebec farmers in this election. The Bloc has shown support for supply management, having promised to reintroduce a bill to protect it in their 2025 election platform.

For 79 per cent of respondents, the most important policy priority is trade and market access, followed by tax breaks and financial support at 58.8 per cent. Other issues like transport infrastructure, supply management protections and risk management were also top concerns.

On trade, producers supported strategies like diversifying export markets and expanding domestic processing. On taxation, they showed support for measures like fuel and energy exemptions and small business and corporate tax rate reductions.

Priorities varied by geography and commodity.

In British Columbia and Atlantic Canada, tax-breaks and financial support were the top priorities, while supply management protections topped the list in Quebec. In every other province, trade and market access was the top policy priority.

While trade and market access was the highest priority for field crop, vegetable crop, beef cattle and hog producers, tax breaks and financial support were the main issue for potato, greenhouse and orchard producers. For dairy and poulty/egg farmers, it was supply management protection.

According to the survey, nearly three quarters of producers did not feel agricultural interests are fairly represented in federal policies. Only 38.6 per cent expressed condifence in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and 62.5 per cent expressed little or no confidence in Environment and Climate Change Canada.

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The campaign ended on a somber note on Sunday after a man rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in Vancouver, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens.

Prime Minister Mark Carney briefly paused his campaign, and both he and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre mentioned the tragedy in their final campaign events. Duane Bratt, professor of political science at Calgary’s Mount Royal University, said he did not expect the mass casualty event to deter voters.

Carney’s Liberals held a 2.7-point lead over Poilievre’s Conservatives in national support, according to a CTV News-Globe and Mail-Nanos poll released on Sunday. Nanos put the Liberals at 42.6 per cent support and the Conservatives at 39.9 per cent, in the poll.

An EKOS poll on Sunday suggested the Liberals hold a six-point lead, and projected the Liberals to win a majority of seats in the 343-seat House of Commons and not need to rely on a smaller party to govern.

Trump renews ’51st state’ talk

Trump re-emerged as a campaign factor last week, declaring that he might raise a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian-made cars because the U.S. does not want them. He said earlier he might use “economic force” to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.

“This is probably the most consequential election in my lifetime,” said Kelly Saunders, a political science professor at Brandon University. “Everything has been so overshadowed by the threats coming out of the United States.”

Carney has emphasized his experience handling economic issues makes him the best leader to deal with Trump, while Poilievre has tapped into concerns about the cost of living, crime and a housing crisis.

Trump, in a social media post on Monday, reiterated his call for Canada to become the 51st state.

“Good luck to the Great people of Canada,” he said. “Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America. No more artificially drawn line from many years ago.”

Standing on Sunday in front of the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor’s Canadian auto hub with Detroit across the border, Carney pointed to the bridge as a symbol of peace and cooperation between the two countries for almost a century.

“That has changed, and it wasn’t us who did the changing … President Trump, the guy over there,” Carney said. “He’s launched a trade war that has literally ruptured the global economy, and in the process, he’s betrayed us.”

Poilievre has attracted more young voters than usual for the Conservatives, focusing his campaign more on living costs and crime.

“Time is running out, only one more day to bring home change so that Canadians can afford food and homes and live on safe streets,” Poilievre said at a rally in Oakville, Ontario on Sunday.

Carney has sought to distance himself from former Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was deeply unpopular when he said in January he would resign after nearly a decade in power. The Conservatives led polls by some 20 points around that time.

“I’m probably going to go Carney on this one just because right now, I feel like we need stability,” said Andy Hill, 37, a Vancouver-based mortgage broker and co-founder of mortgage marketplace EveryRate. “Being in the English banking system and being in the Canadian banking system, he really understands the economy.”

Bob Lowe, a 66-year-old cattle rancher who lives south of Calgary, said he has already cast his ballot for the Conservatives. He said his top concern is Canada’s flagging economic growth.

The economy had seen a fledgling recovery until the U.S. imposed tariffs.

Economic concerns also top of mind

Lowe said the Conservatives have focused on the economy all along, and that he believes the Liberals have been stoking Canadians’ anxieties about Trump to win another term.

“Poilievre has managed to keep the focus on the economy and a strong Canada, and Carney’s campaign is based on fear. That’s it in a nutshell,” Lowe said.

Saunders, however, predicts the Liberals will win a majority of electoral districts, called seats, and says it would take a “magical scenario” for the Conservatives to pull off a victory. Tensions with the U.S. have caused supporters of two smaller parties, the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois, to shift to the Liberals.

A party needs to win 172 seats to form a majority government.

Much of the Conservative support is in rural areas where there are fewer seats.

Carney, who covered more than 20 cities in his last week of campaigning, has appeared tired but tried to maintain his exuberance at rallies, attended by 1,000 to 2,000 people, according to party figures.

Carney’s rallies have attracted mostly older Canadians and featured placards saying “Jamais Le 51” (“Never 51”) and “Un Canada Fort” (“A Strong Canada”).

Mentions of Trump have been loudly booed.

Poilievre’s rallies have been bigger and mentioned Trump less often.

Election results will trickle in, starting in eastern provinces, after polls close at staggered times on Monday evening. Ballots are counted by hand.

— Reporting by Rod Nickel and Promit Mukherjee in Ottawa, Nivedita Balu in Toronto and Amanda Stephenson in Calgary; additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington.

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Panelists at a recent webinar, “What policy asks are needed in the federal election campaign?” hosted by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) explained the difficulty communicating the needs of farmers during election cycles, but also how 2025 is bringing agriculture’s top concern to the forefront.

Why it matters: the issues that matter most to Canadian farmers are often under-represented in election campaigns.

The issues leaders make central to their campaigns are rarely agriculture-facing topics, said speakers.

Sangeeta Lalli, public policy director at TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods, said leaders may not attach themselves to issues that don’t resonate with enough Canadians.

“The first question to ask here is do Canadians care about the issue, and will your ideas for the agriculture sector impact the majority of farmers?” said Lalli. “Is it among the top three things that farmers will say that they care about? If not, it’s not getting into the election platform.

Lalli said if an issue is going to go in a policy platform, it needs to be easily communicated to the general public.

“If someone doesn’t understand what the policy is for, it’s taking up too much space in an election platform,” she said.

The Conservative party doesn’t often need to campaign hard on agricultural issues as many rural ridings tend to lean in their favour anyway, Lalli added.

Working for any minister, even on trade issues “can be quite dull,” said Jeff English, vice president of Marketing and Communications at Pulse Canada.

“Depending on the file, depending on the what’s happening in the world, there’s not a lot to go on or to report,” he said.

Even supply management — a regular topic of debate among Canadian politicians — is not a ubiquitous concern in the agriculture sector, and more regionally specific.

Panelists agreed, however, that the 2025 election campaign is unique since the top issue for federal parties is also one of the top concerns for Canadian farmers.

Tariffs and trade relationships have become the focus of campaigns ever since the first signs of trouble from U.S. President Donald Trump. They’ve also become one of the most important topics in agriculture; producers from all across the country listed them as a top concern in interviews with Glacier FarmMedia.

A recent CBC report showed Canada-U.S. relations as one of the top election concerns for Canadians nationwide.

“It’s the vision and the approach to Trump,” said Lalli. “That is what’s taking up most of the space this campaign.”

“At the end of the day, you need to respond to whatever Canadians care about during the campaign period. And right now, it’s the U.S. And anyone not talking about the U.S. and how to deal with President Trump is going to have a difficult time.”

She reiterated that any agricultural issues within the campaign must be relevant to a broader Canadian electorate, and trade and tariffs are relevant to both.

English said the lack of public interest around agriculture tends to change when certain international issues are brought to the fore. He said the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement of 2015 was one such case. Trump’s tariffs are another.

“Many folks rely on trade of the United States to make their living,” he said, “and so there are certain things that are going to come to the head during election campaigns that are just unavoidable and beyond our control.”

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Glacier FarmMedia reporters and contributors from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba asked farmers about their election priorities, how represented by the federal government they’ve felt — and finally, if there’s anything they’d like farmers from other regions to understand about the issues they face.

In part four, farmers reflect on what they’d like farmers from other regions to understand about the issues they face.

Read part one, part two and part three.

For more election coverage, visit the Western Producer’s election page.

Ontario

Dairy farmer Davina Garner would prefer if there was a better understanding of the different pressures faced by farmers in the East versus the West. As the organizer of an all-candidates’ meeting on behalf of the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture, she believes there’s a wider range of farms in Ontario than on the Prairies.

“Plus I think we tend to be more limited here by red tape if we want to expand,” Garner added.

Garner’s biggest concern during the campaign is whether the parties’ efforts to tackle the perceived housing crisis will accelerate the loss of prime agricultural land in the province.

Pete Overdevest said it’s unfortunate that the news and culture of Toronto is often what Western farmers hear when it’s a completely different reality in Ontario’s farm country.

Matt Underwood suggested western farmers might benefit from knowing that most of their Ontario counterparts live in ridings that have stayed blue for several elections.

Alberta

Phil Constantin said producers across the country can all agree on many concerns in the industry.

“I think at one time or another we all face each other’s problems. We’re all facing droughts, we’re all facing floods. But I think the biggest thing is when we have a swing this big on pricing,” he said.

Constantin said the lack of competition in grains pricing is damning to the industry.

“We don’t have enough competition in the grain market at all.… We’ve lost Viterra to Bunge, so what do we have for competition? We used to have the Canadian Wheat Board, and we had farmers running it at the end and doing a great job, but they shut us down. Then they took all our assets and sold it to G3.”

Bryan Perkins sees Alberta agriculture as an export-first economy as opposed to other regions that can rely more on domestic consumption. In a global trade war, that is a worry.

“Our Western Canadian agriculture is very much oriented to export kinds of commodities. Certainly we use our products here in Canada, but a lot of the products — whether it be livestock or grains or oilseeds — are heavily exported,” he said.

“We have to be concerned about the supply managed sector having undue influence on trade negotiations,” he added. “I think it can be framed in a way, certainly, that makes it possible to still have that kind of program in place, but yet there needs to be respect for those of us who … are very much oriented to the export markets.”

Manitoba

Grain and oilseed farmer Curtis McCrae said he has a neighbor from Ontario who still farms in that province. Their priorities are very similar.

“We think a lot alike,” he said.

Manitoba is much more export-oriented than Ontario, he noted. Farmers there might not understand how crucial infrastructure like ports and railways are to producers in the West, and the magnitude of threats posed by strikes.

Quebec

No answer provided.

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