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    This one comment says it all

    Try and pick out what you think is the comment that best explains the predicament we are all in..........

    Job losses deepest in agriculture: StatsCan

    Canada's agriculture sector lost more jobs on a percentage basis in 12 months' time than any other employment sector in the country, according to Statistics Canada.

    The federal statistical agency reported Friday that about 307,800 people were employed in the ag sector in January 2009, down from 316,200 in December 2008 and down by 32,600 from 12 months previous, for a 12-month percentage loss of 9.6 per cent.

    By comparison, Canada's total employee (as opposed to self-employee) workforce dropped one per cent (148,600 jobs) during the previous 12 months.

    The self-employed workforce was up 2.3 per cent, public sector workforce up 0.1 per cent, construction up 1.7 per cent and resources (forestry, fishing, oil, gas, mines) up 0.4 per cent. Accommodation and food services employment rose 2.9 per cent. Manufacturing dropped 7.4 per cent.

    Canwest News Service correspondent David Akin on Tuesday quoted federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, coming out of a meeting with his provincial counterparts, as saying the job losses in agriculture are due in part to the evolution of the industry, with farmers aging and farm size increasing.

    Job losses in agriculture weren't evenly distributed across all provinces, however. In Ritz's home province of Saskatchewan, for example, ag sector employment in January sat at 142,600 people, flat from December 2008 and up 2,700 (6.6 per cent) from 12 months previous.

    Agriculture job losses were substantial either in total numbers or percentage-wise in other provinces. Quebec lost 17,900 ag jobs between January 2008 and 2009, down 24.7 per cent; Ontario lost 5,800 ag jobs in that time, down 6.7 per cent; and British Columbia lost 15,600 ag jobs, down 36.1 per cent.

    Newfoundland and Labrador lost 900 ag-related jobs between January 2008 and 2009, for a loss of 56.2 per cent. Alberta lost 600, down one per cent.

    Ag sector employment rose during the same 12 months in Nova Scotia (up by 700 people, or 10.6 per cent), New Brunswick (up 2,200 people, or 39.3 per cent) and Manitoba (up 700, or 2.6 per cent).

    "Disappointment"

    The job figures to which Ritz reacted were released before his meeting Monday in Ottawa with the provinces' ag ministers. Discussing that meeting in a separate release Tuesday, Saskatchewan's agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud expressed "disappointment" with the meeting's outcome.

    Bjornerud on Tuesday said he went into the meeting with "specific requests" in mind, such as immediate support for cattle and hog producers and changes to the AgriStability income stabilization program.

    "The federal government is supporting other areas of the economy, such as the automotive industry," Bjornerud said. "The livestock sector is equally as important in Saskatchewan, and throughout Western Canada, and there has not been sufficient federal support to this industry."

    In a separate release Tuesday, Nova Scotia Agriculture Minister Mark Parent noted that he emphasized the importance of the supply-managed dairy, poultry and egg sectors to his province's ag sector.

    "Nova Scotia is a strong supporter of supply management, recognizing its importance to stabilizing our entire agriculture and food sector," he said in his release. "We are supportive of protecting a modern supply management system that is responsive to the needs of our producers and consumers."

    Provincial ministers agreed that a successful conclusion to the World Trade Organization trade negotiations are important to Canada's agriculture sector, Parent reported.


    My vote goes for this one.....

    federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, coming out of a meeting with his provincial counterparts, as saying the job losses in agriculture are due in part to the evolution of the industry, with farmers aging and farm size increasing.

    In a nutshell that pretty much lays it out doesn't it? Our ag minister, who's job it is, theoretically, to oversee the task of developing a strong agricultural sector in this country considers the demise of the family farm to be simply the "evolution of the industry." This tells me we have already been written off as a lost cause, and that his vision of agriculture in Canada is one of large corporations and agribusiness. Family farms are simply not part of his vision for this country.

    Is it ime for a new ag minister????

    #2
    I agree...

    Is it time for a new ag minister? In a word, yes. Remember the listeriosis outbreak? When Ritz was informed that there was another liseriosis death Ritz replied to the effect that he hoped it was fellow MP Wayne Easter. And went on to joke that the listeriosis outbreak which took 17 lives was "This is like a death by a thousand cuts. Or should I say cold cuts." Even Stephen Harper admitted that was totally inappropriate.

    For Ritz the ag crisis is all a big joke. But no one is laughing except him.

    http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/09/17/6796961-cp.html

    Comment


      #3
      It will be interesting to see if any farm organizations pick up on this and make a comment. I bet one that won't will be the Keystone Agriculture Producers in Manitoba. I heard a comment from the leader of KAP this morning basically stating that the NFU has it all wrong, and that stopping packer ownership of cattle is not the way to fix our problems.

      No wonder the MCPA pulled out of KAP. They have no relevance to the cattle industry at all, and are just as big a fans of big agribusiness and corporate farming as our government is. That's my opinion anyway.

      Comment


        #4
        Kato,

        You ever get any feedback on the emails you sent a while back to the govt and news media?

        I think its time for a new ag minister if he cant see that the beef industry is dying in Canada he must really be blind.

        Comment


          #5
          Not a peep. Surprise Surprise!

          I'd really like to know what a person has to do to be heard in this country..... But I guess we've just got to keep slugging away. I think it's time to send some more. Maybe someday someone will read them.

          Comment


            #6
            Maybe Canadians could look to Europe to see how to make your voice heard?
            Maybe if we had 2000 producers blockade the Cargill plant for an hour or two or block deliveries of meat to our local supermarkets one night combined with a targeted leaflet hand out to consumers in the store? It might wake up some packers, politicians and consumers.

            These will no doubt be derided as anti-Canadian and unworkable but I'll tell you they have worked well in Europe and I personally would use them before I gave up on an 8 generation heritage of livestock farming.

            Comment


              #7
              I still think there is some personal level of responsibility in this at the producer level, but that said the government of the day has a commitment to ensure fair play and transparency to industry participants.
              In ag at the moment it seems they are gutting any of the programs that are worthwhile including (some AB specific)
              - CFBAS
              - AESA
              - Reduced Tillage Linkages
              - AB Ag (generally speaking)
              and piling on legislation and infrastructure in other areas.
              I think we are at a point where we really need to fight for fairness in the marketplace including basic infrastructure such as rail transportation, risk management tools (like a real CAIS program), processing capacity (not just beef), a fair and fast and firm regulatory system and basic trade support (including not trading off one sector of the economy for another - cars and steel come to mind).

              Comment


                #8
                Forgot to mention that I am to the point where I think that agriculture and family farms will succeed in spite of, rather than in cooperation with all levels of government (end of tirade).

                Comment


                  #9
                  That goes along with an interesting statistic down here in the States...The USDA just released the Farm census results- and the average age of a ranch/farm operator/producer in the US is now up to 57 years old...

                  Comment

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