For immediate release:
March 30, 2005

Tory challenges fed/prov agriculture divide: Barrett

Queen’s Park – In his second day in the Ontario Legislature, PC Leader John Tory hit the mark in questioning a lack of communication between federal and provincial agriculture Ministers according to MPP Toby Barrett.

After acknowledging that the Ontario agricultural funding announced yesterday was a start, Tory pointed to a concern over co-ordination and communication with the government’s federal cousins in Ottawa.

“The Ontario Federation of Agriculture said yesterday they were disturbed about the fact that your government was not talking to the other governments in Canada - there wasn’t the kind of coordination we’d expect on something like this,” Tory stated. “Minister, why did you not work with the Government of Canada before your announcement yesterday, and before theirs, to make these announcements work together for farmers in Ontario?”

Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant MPP Barrett says Tory’s question served to highlight the divide that was glaringly apparent in yesterday’s dual funding announcements.

“Mr. Peters himself clearly indicated that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand was doing yesterday when he continually stated his ‘surprise’ that the feds were making a major agriculture funding announcement during his own provincial funding news conference,” Barrett stated. “These governments are charged with administration of our tax dollars, and yet they don’t seem to know what funding is coming from where and when – it’s a huge concern for all Ontarians.

“I join with Mr. Tory in his assertion that, ‘Farming officials we spoke with are concerned that your government isn’t talking to the federal government at this critical time for farmers in Ontario’” Barrett concluded.

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