QUEEN’S PARK - The NDP Official Opposition is calling on the Ford government to listen to Ontario’s diverse agri-food sector, and give them a chance to share their perspectives on what can be done to stop more farms, and rural economies, from being pushed to the breaking point during the Covid-19 crisis.
The NDP’s Agriculture and Food critic, John Vanthof, and NDP Finance critic, Sandy Shaw, wrote the following letter to the Ford government on Thursday to immediately include Ontario’s agri-food sector in the province’s standing committee on finance and economic affairs that is hearing from groups on the devastating impacts of the pandemic.
Dear Mr. Sandhu, Minister Phillips and Minister Hardeman,
On behalf of the NDP Official Opposition, we are formally requesting that the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs immediately include the agri-food sector, that plays such a critical role in Ontario’s economy and food security, in the Committee’s study into the impact of COVID-19 in keeping with the motion passed unanimously in the House on May 12, 2020.
The agri-food sector has been rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown of our province.
While workers have done an incredible job to keep supply lines open and food on our shelves, the consequences for the sector have been dire with more costs and less revenue. The price of crops and livestock has plummeted, and the farmers are facing the prospect of being forced to destroy their produce. The agri-food sector is facing an economic crisis that’s not been seen in living memory. We hear every day from farmers who tell us we need to take urgent action to avoid the situation getting even worse.
To maintain a strong agri-food sector in Ontario and fix the cracks in our food supply system that have been exposed by the COVID-19, we need to listen to the voices of the agri-food sector. We need to understand the challenges they face right now and the long-term impact of the pandemic, and hear their views on how we can help them to get through the crisis and come back even stronger.
The agri-food sector has done an outstanding job under almost impossible circumstances during COVID-19. They’ve stepped up to the plate, and they deserve more than our gratitude. They deserve to be heard and to be given the support they so desperately need. We cannot continue to take them for granted and we must start listening to them. Their livelihoods, and their families, depend on it.
We are requesting public hearings at the earliest opportunity, to give every part of Ontario’s diverse agri-food sector the chance to share their perspectives on what’s gone wrong and what can be done to stop more farms, and rural economies, from being pushed to the breaking point.
Source : Ontario NDP