Current Column : Norfolk Federation of Agriculture

February 1, 2005

Dear OFA Member:

As you know, our industry of farming is in serious trouble. Farm incomes have been devastated by the BSE crisis, poor crop conditions, a strengthening dollar and US trade action on hogs, grain and oilseed prices at 25 year lows, rising costs for energy and other inputs and a crushing regulatory burden on farmers that shows little net benefit.
Some are taking serious action to try to draw attention to this situation. While we understand the desperation leading to blockades, the OFA has chosen not to participate in the actions. Unfortunately, the messages from these actions are not getting through to the politicians in Toronto or Ottawa. They know we are mad but they have to be told why and how the issues can be resolved!
We need to tell them of the farm income crisis and regulatory burden on farmers. The OFA and commodity organizations are providing policies to make the business of farming better in Ontario, both in the immediate future and for future generations. Now, more than ever, we need your help to ensure a loud and unified effort to make the policy makers listen and act quickly to save our industry.
In the immediate future, the farmers of Ontario need:
an immediate cash payment to grains and oilseeds farmers of $300 million for the 2004 crop price disaster, to prevent farm closures
a workable Production Insurance program for horticulture
immediate payment of the $121 million promised by both levels of government to tobacco growers to start rationalizing the industry
a CAIS program that delivers real income support on a timely basis
delay of the Nutrient Management Act to enable workable changes and realistic funding levels
elimination of water taking permit fees for agricultural use
postponement of the Greenbelt Protection Act to enable a review of farming viability factors
an open border to the U.S. and others for live ruminant animals

Making these changes happen will require a strong, united voice from all Ontario farmers. The OFA is working with all farm organizations to deliver one message to government and we need your help.
Please use the attached list of contact information for MPP's to contact all government members with the messages above. Please call, write, fax or e-mail as many Queen's Park members as you can over the next week or two. It is important to focus on Liberal, urban MPP's.
If we do not see any action in the coming days we will be calling on you to join the OFA and all farm organizations in Ontario to go directly to Queen's Park to deliver these messages to our political leaders in person, in early March.Our politicians need to be convinced of the importance of agriculture and the crisis being suffered. They need to be convinced to take significant action to make agriculture viable now and in the future.
No one group can accomplish what needs to be done. But with all farmers telling our government and consumers what agriculture desperately needs, we can accomplish much.
Please help with a visit, call or letter to MPP's. Demand action. Demand that agriculture gets the attention it has to have right now. And keep watching the farm papers and our website for more developments in our efforts to make sure agriculture thrives once again in Ontario.

Sincerely,

Ron Bonnett, President

cc: Ontario Commodity Organizations
Christian Farmers' Federation of OntarioNational Farmers' Union of OntarioOFA Associate Members
Ontario Retail Farm Equipment Dealers' Association

Where to contact Ontario Liberal MPPs
Wayne Arthurs, Pickering Ajax Uxbridge 905-420-0829 905-420-5351
Rick Bartolucci, Sudbury 705-675-1914 705-675-1456
Christopher Bentley, London West 519-657-3120 519-657-0368
Lorenzo Berardinetti, Scarborough Southwest 416-261-9525 416-261-0381
Marie Bountrogianni, Hamilton Mountain 905-388-9734 905-388-7862
James Bradley, St. Catharines 905-935-0018 905-935-0191
Laurel Broten, Etobicoke – Lakeshore 416-259-2249 416-259-3704Michael Brown, Algoma – Manitoulin 705-461-9710 705-461-9720Jim Brownell, Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh 613-933-6513 613-933-6449
Michael Bryant, St. Paul's 416-656-0943 416-656-0875Donna Cansfield, Etobicoke Centre 416-234-2800 416-234-2276
David Caplan, Don Valley East 416-494-6856 416-494-9937
Mary Ann V. Chambers, Scarborough East 416-281-2787 416-281-2360
Mike Colle, Eglinton-Lawrence 416-781-2395 416-781-4116
Joseph Cordiano, York South – Weston 416-243-7984 416-243-0327Kim Craitor, Niagara Falls 905-357-0681 905-357-9456
Bruce Crozier, Essex 519-766-6420 519-776-5763
Alvin Curling, Scarborough – Rouge River 416-297-5040 416-297-6767Bob Delaney, Mississauga West 905-569-1643 905-569-6416
Vic Dhillon, Brampton West – Mississauga 905-796-8669 905-796-8069Caroline Di Cocco, Sarnia – Lambton 519-337-0051 519-337-3246Leona Dombrowsky, Hasting – Frontenac – Lennox & Addington 613-354-6630 613-354-0232Brad Duguid, Scarborough Centre 416-615-2183 416-615-2011
Dwight Duncan, Windsor – St. Clair 519-251-5199 519-251-5299Kevin Flynn, Oakville 905-827-5141 905-827-3786
Peter Fonseca, Mississauga East 905-238-1751 905-238-4918
John Gerretsen, Kingston-and-the-Islands 613-547-2385 613-547-5001
Michael Gravelle, Thunder Bay – Superior North 807-345-3647 807-345-2922Pat Hoy, Chatham – Kent – Essex 519-351-0510 519-351-7714Linda Jeffrey, Brampton Centre 905-796-6882 905-796-6306
Gerard Kennedy, Parkdale – High Park 416-763-5630 416-763-5640Kuldip Kular, Bramalea – Gore – Malton – Springdale 905-799-3939 905-799-9505Monte Kwinter, York Centre 416-630-0080 416-630-8828
Jean-Marc Lalonde, Glengarry – Prescott – Russell 613-446-4010 613-446-6605Jeff Leal, Peterborough 705-742-3777 705-742-1822
Dave Levac, Brant 519-759-0361 519-759-6439
Judy Marsales, Hamilton West 905-529-1277 905-529-1280
Deborah Matthews, London North Centre 519-432-7339 519-432-0613
Bill Mauro, Thunder Bay – Atikokan 807-623-9237 807-623-4983Dalton McGuinty, Ottawa South 613-736-9573 613-736-7374
Phil McNeely, Ottawa – Orleans 613-834-8679 613-834-7647Madeleine Mailleur, Ottawa – Vanier 613-744-4484 613-744-0889John Milloy, Kitehcner Centre 519-579-5460 519-579-2121
Carol Mitchell, Huron-Bruce 519-482-5630 519-482-3149
Jennifer Mossop, Stoney Creek 905-664-4200 905-662-2313
David Orazietti, Sault Ste. Marie 705-949-6959 705-946-6269
Ernie Parsons, Prince Edward – Hastings 613-962-1144 613-969-6381Richard Patten, Ottawa Centre 613-722-6414 613-722-6703
Steve Peters, Elgin- Middlesex – London 519-631-0666 519-631-9478Tim Peterson, Mississauga South 905-822-7898 905-822-8344
Gerry Phillips, Scarborough – Agincourt 416-297-6568 416-297-4962Sandra Pupatello, Windsor West 519-977-7191 519-977-7029
Shafiq Qaadri, Etocicoke North 416-745-2859 416-745-4601
Mario G. Racco, Thornhill 905-731-8462 905-731-2984
Khalil Ramal, London – Fanshawe 519-668-1104 519-668-1941David Ramsay, Timiskaming – Cochrane 705-647-5995 705-647-1976Lou Rinaldi, Northumberland 905-372-4000 905-372-1672
Tony Ruprecht, Davenport 416-535-3158 416-325-9961
Liz Sandals, Guelph – Wellington 519-836-4190 519-836-4191Mario Sergio, York West 416-743-7272 416-743-3292
Monique M. Smith, Nipissing 705-474-8340 705-474-9747
George Smitherman, Toronto Centre – Rosedale 416-972-7683 416-972-7686Greg Sorbara, Vaughan – King – Aurora 905-851-0440 905-851-0210Harinder S. Takhar, Mississauga Centre 905-897-8815 905-897-8482
Maria Van Bommel, Lambton – Kent- Middlesex 519-245-8696 519-245-8697Jim Watson, Ottawa West – Nepean 613-721-8075 613-721-5756John Wilkinson, Perth – Middlesex 519-272-0660 519-272-1064Tony C. Wong, Markham 905-305-1935 905-305-1938
Kathleen O. Wynne, Don Valley West 416-425-6777 416-425-0350
David Zimmer, Willowdale 416-733-7878 416-733-7709