For immediate release:
March 28, 2007

Barrett issues ‘call to action’ for farmers and local politicians
Says securing a dignified tobacco exit-plan requires all hands on deck

Queen’s Park—Last night in the Ontario Legislature MPP Toby Barrett encouraged farmers and local politicians to come to Queen’s Park and lobby for a tobacco exit-plan before the end of the current fiscal year.

“I worked in tobacco a number of years ago. There were well over 3,000 farmers,” Barrett told the Ontario Legislature.  “Now we’re looking at about 600 active farmers, another 600 quota holders.”

Barrett went on to quote Opposition Leader, John Tory, who recently pointed out that Ontario has hiked tobacco taxes several times and pocketed the cash instead of helping farmers with it.

“We know there’s a surplus, something in the order of well over $300 million,” Barrett told legislators.  “I do encourage tobacco farm families, I encourage tobacco growers, I encourage mayors and municipal councilors throughout tobacco country to come to Queen’s Park, to lobby, in particular during the final days of this fiscal year.”

During Ontario’s pre-budget consultation process, Barrett submitted a motion recommending “that the Minister of Finance provide the traditional 40 per cent share of a federally led compensation package to Ontario’s tobacco growers; and, further, that the McGuinty government work co-operatively with the federal government to crack down on the illicit tobacco market.”  That motion was rejected by the Liberal members of the Finance Committee.

“It’s not just tobacco farmers that are suffering the decline in the tobacco economy – it’s the communities as well,” Barrett said after debate.  “That’s why it’s important to get the local Mayors, councilors, as well as farm families, to come to Queen’s Park and pressure government to look at this before the books close at the end of the fiscal year.”

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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: (416) 325-8404,
(519) 428-0446, or 1-800-903-8629