· I am pleased to see all of you here to draw attention to the serious financial crisis facing the hog producers of Ontario. I would like to thank Will Nap, Jack Wilkinson, Ed Sedgsworth, Bob Bedgood and my colleagues Bert Johnson, Barb Fisher, and Harry Danford for coming forward to help raise awareness of this serious issue.
· There is no question that we are facing a serious problem in the agriculture industry -- not only in Ontario, but across the country, and to the south of our border.
· I would like to thank you for getting up early this morning to get on a bus and travel from every corner of the province to raise awareness of the importance of your industry, and indeed, the economic importance of the entire agriculture industry in Ontario.
· And I am here to tell you that the Mike Harris government is concerned about your financial hardship. I am also here to tell you that my goal - and the goal of your provincial government -- is to work to restore the viability of our pork industry, and to ensure a bright future for the family farm in this great province.
· The Premier and my Cabinet colleagues understand full well the impact of this market downturn on your businesses and other commodity groups
· I have been meeting with farm leaders since the very beginning of this crisis. I have met with the executives of Ontario Pork and heard your concerns. Last week my rural caucus colleagues and I held an emergency meeting with the Ontario Pork executive to talk about the situation and discuss options.
· I have spoken with the federal Minister of Agriculture and told him that Ontario stands ready and willing to work on a program that will help all our farmers.
· I told him of our support for a national whole farm income disaster program that will help not only the pork industry, but the other commodities such as the grains and oilseeds producers, apple growers, and cattle farmers.
· We understand the need to act quickly, but we also understand that we have to avoid countervail action at all costs. Ontario's farmers such as yourselves have worked too hard to become nation leaders in agri-food exports to be punished by an "ad-hoc" program that sets off a tariff war with our trading partners.
· Therefore I have, and will continue to urge Mr. Vanclief and his colleagues in the Federal Cabinet to act swiftly to create a program that will be fair to all farmers in all provinces. We want a bankable promise from the federal government before Christmas.
· In the meantime, all stakeholders in the pork industry need to understand the seriousness of the situation and do whatever they can to work together to increase demand for pork products.
· In my opinion, if anyone is going to benefit from the low price of pork - it should be the consumer and only the consumer. Ministry staff have been working with retailers to find ways to promote pork and reduce prices. I will also be meeting with retail industry leaders and processors this week to ensure that this is done as quickly as possible.
· Now I understand that we can't eat our way out of this problem, however, I want ordinary Ontarians to understand that by simply they can help play a role. If the demand for pork increases, we can sell more hogs -- and that will help an industry in need of a boost.
· Together, we face both an immediate crisis and a challenge to ensure the future of the pork industry.
· We've been here before, we've met the challenges of the past head-on and once again we will persevere.
· Thank you
back