Tobacco policy has ignited a market meltdown

As your representative I am concerned with the state of farming locally.
Apart from the weather, it seems that in most sectors there is a crisis or one brewing.

In the east end of the riding, we have an unresolved land dispute, law and order issues, and a hog and beef industry in distress. In the west, we have special needs for apples and other hort crops, and it's no secret tobacco farmers are struggling to put food on the table as they hold onto hope that governments will help them exit the industry with out flooding other commodity markets.

Government policy and inaction with respect to the illegal tobacco trade have resulted in a market meltdown for Ontario farmers, manufacturers and retailers. Farmers and communities in Oxford, Norfolk, Elgin and Brant are facing extreme difficulties - difficulties that will only get worse.

My offices receive at least one phone call each day from an anxious farmer, or family member, who wants to know where talks are at with regard to an exit package.

What I do know is that during the provincial election, Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Steve Peters attended the Norfolk County Fair, to specifically speak with tobacco farmers. According to CD98.9 radio, Peters said, "the Liberals are fully committed to the pay out plan put together by the local Tobacco Growers Marketing Board."

However, a farmer reported to me a discussion with Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky. In contrast to MPP Peters' encouraging words, the Agriculture Minister indicated there is no movement on an exit plan. She was surprised to learn that a moratorium on quota transactions has been in place for many months. She also suggested that the answer to the tobacco crisis in Norfolk is simple and boils down to one word - transition. It's becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to transit as there are very few government programs farmers qualify for, coupled with the fact that the banks are becoming less sympathetic.

It is disheartening to hear about our constituent's conversation with the Ag Minister considering the fact the Tobacco Board has spent countless hours briefing various Government members at Queen's Park.
Tobacco farm families have also taken their tractors to Queen's Park and the 401. I have stood time and again in the Ontario Legislature to explain the crisis and to request compensation.

It's passing strange that Minister Dombrowsky has held the Agriculture portfolio since 2005 and does not have a grasp of this crisis. Also passing strange that Premier McGuinty did not reappoint MPP Peters to a Cabinet - Peters is a seasoned politician who won his seat handily.

Elected representatives within the four counties of Norfolk, Brant, Oxford and Elgin, remain the same. With four experienced incumbents, it is imperative that Dave Levac, Ernie Hardeman, Steve Peters and I continue to demand that Premier McGuinty do the right thing for tobacco farm families. And there are familiar faces, but in new positions, at the tobacco board who have already begun an aggressive lobbying campaign at all levels of government.

While we may feel beaten, it is vital that we do not give up - that's what some are counting on. Remember, patience and persistence have paid off in the past.

Premier McGuinty cannot afford to continue ignoring Oxford, Norfolk Elgin and Brant as there will be even greater problems to solve if he doesn't soon lend a helping hand, and work with both the municipal and federal levels.