National Farmers Union Ontario

5420 Hwy 6 N., R.R. 5

Guelph, ON N1H 6J2

April 25, 2012

 

Premier Dalton McGuinty

Legislative Building

Queen's Park

Toronto, ON M7A 1A1

 

Dear Premier McGuinty:

 

The National Farmers Union in Ontario is deeply concerned about the implications of the Canada-Europe Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) for Ontario farmers. Although, the deal is being negotiated behind closed doors, the NFU has been able to obtain leaked drafts of the agreement, which have been subsequently verified by Canada's chief negotiator. The NFU has carefully analyzed drafts of the agreement, paying particular attention to the implications for farmers.

 

According to the NFU's analysis of the draft text CETA will:

• usher in an unprecedented set of intellectual property rights enforcement tools, including the precautionary seizure of farms, crops, equipment and cash for alleged infringement of intellectual property rights along with criminal enforcement of intellectual property rights. These expanded enforcement tools will severely restrict farmers' ability to save, reuse, exchange and sell seed, thereby, increasing seed costs, destroying farmers' autonomy and giving multinational seed companies more control over our farms and our food;

 

• extend monopoly patent rights for pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals, thereby, increasing input costs for farmers and drug costs for the people of Ontario;

 

• undermine municipal, university, hospital and provincial efforts to support local farmers through local food procurement policies since, over a certain threshold, these procurement contracts will be required to be open to outside bidders;

 

• restrict the use of geographic indicators in the names of some processed foods made from Ontario farm produce and processed by Ontario processors, including products like mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. 

 

Farm organizations who support CETA are hoping the agreement will open up the European market to Canada's genetically-modified (GM) crops and hormone-treated beef. This will not happen. Canadian negotiators are only asking that the allowable GM contamination levels be increased from 0.01% to 0.1%. In addition, from the beginning of the negotiations GM organisms have specifically been exempted from CETA. The European market is closed to hormone-treated beef due to consumer health concerns. Canadian beef farmers can get more access to the European beef

market now, if they adopt equivalent standards and eliminate growth hormones from the Canadian production system.

 

Across the province, municipalities from the County of Essex to Hamilton, Ottawa and Drummond/North Elmsley in Lanark County, are requesting that they be exempted from CETA, so that as municipal governments they can continue to support local economic development through local procurement contracts.

 

The Province of Ontario is required to sign off on CETA. The National Farmers Union is asking the Government of Ontario to give serious consideration to the implications this trade deal will have:

• on Ontario farmers and their ability to save, reuse and sell seed due to the expanded intellectual property rights enforcement tools for alleged infringement and;

 

• on the efforts across the province to create economic benefits for farmers and rural communities through the procurement of local food by the broader public sector. 

 

The negotiations on CETA continue to take place in secret, with no public discussion of the implications for farmers or for the rest of society. The NFU analysis suggests CETA is good for corporations, like multinational seed and biotech companies, but has little real benefit for farmers and for Canadians. Under CETA corporations will be given the right to sue governments at every level – municipal, provincial and federal – for making decisions in the interest of Canadian citizens. CETA is a corporate bill of rights that will severely limit the power of our elected officials, at all levels, to act on behalf of citizens.

 

The NFU is requesting that the Province of Ontario refrain from signing off on CETA, unless there are fundamental changes to the agreement. These fundamental changes must include dropping both the the precautionary seizure provisions for alleged infringement of intellectual property right and the criminal enforcement of intellectual property rights. In addition, the broader public sector must be able to continue to favour local providers of goods and services,  ncluding local food, in local procurement contracts. The Government of Ontario must protect the interests of Ontario farmers and Ontario citizens, not the interests of multinational corporations.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Ann Slater

 

Ontario NFU Coordinator

coordinator@nfuontario.ca

519-349-2448

 

c.c. Hon. Ted McMeekin, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Hon. Dwight Duncan, Minister of Finance

Andrea Horwath, Leader NDP

John Vanthof, NDP Agriculture Critic

Michael Prue, NDP Finance Critic

Hon. Tim Hudak, Leader Conservative Party

Hon. Ernie Hardeman, Conservative Agriculture Critic

Peter Shurman, Conservative Finance Critic

 

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The National Farmers Union deplores the federal budget cuts that will end the Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) and eliminate two-thirds of the positions in the Rural and Co-operatives Secretariat. The

CDI gives communities the resources to develop new co-operatives which become successful businesses in rural Canada. Rural co-operatives increase employment, build local skills and knowledge, and provide needed goods and services -- and their activities support other businesses in local economies across the country. By draining the gas out of this proven community development engine in rural Canada, the federal government is undermining the economy and putting rural Canadians at a disadvantage.

 

Joan Brady, NFU National Women’s President, expressed her dismay at the recent announcements. “As afar mer and someone who works tirelessly in my community to build resilience and community capacity, I am very concerned at the loss of this very valuable program.” She continued, “Recently, I was privileged to attend an international conference that highlighted co-operatives and social enterprise and their positive effects at social, economic and environmental levels. At the time, I was hopeful that we could replicate some of these international success stories here in Canada. I am afraid that without considerable understanding and support from the federal government we will miss out on these grassroots

opportunities to grow our economy and society.”

 

The United Nations has declared 2012 as The International Year of Co-operatives, and calls upon governments to take measures aimed at creating a supportive environment for the development of cooperatives.

The UN resolution specifically notes the potential role of co-operative development in the improvement of the social and economic conditions of rural communities. But instead of celebrating and building them, the federal government is poised to abandon Canada’s proven rural co-operative development programs in 2012.

 

“The federal government believes that innovation will improve our economic situation – but innovation is about much more than simply commercializing science. It is about putting new ideas into action and empowering each Canadian,” said Cammie Harbottle, NFU Youth President. “That is what the CDI had the ability to do. Now, new co-ops will not be started by creative, energetic youth because they won’t get the valuable support that these programs have provided. This is a loss for all of Canada. The constant drive for expanding global trade in agriculture at the expense of community economic development of our own rural communities is short-sighted and something that we will regret.”

 

The NFU calls upon the federal government to honor the UN Year of Co-operatives resolution and reinstate full funding for the CDI and the Rural and Co-operatives Secretariat.

 

For more information:

Joan Brady, NFU Women’s President: (306) 652-9465

Cammie Harbottle, NFU Youth President: (902) 657-2532

UN Resolution http://www.copac.coop/publications/un/a64r136e.pdf