Agricultural Support

WHEREAS agriculture is Canadas largest renewable resource industry and a vital pillar in the Canadian economy; WHEREAS the economic impact and ripple effect of agriculture is widespread in both small and large Canadian communities;WHEREAS Canadians spend less than 10 per cent of their disposable income to buy food, and at the same time Canadian farmers receive less financial benefit for their efficiency and bounty as their realized net income has remained virtually unchanged;WHEREAS rising retail prices and export values arent providing the comparable rates of return to the primary agricultural producer;WHEREAS the federal government has set goals for agriculture such as export development and domestic production growth, but doesnt invest sufficiently in primary producers through direct and specific programs;WHEREAS Canadian farmers major international competitors receive significantly more support and investment from their national governments, and those governments are continuing to provide this investment;AND WHEREAS farmers are in particularly dire need of investment in their sector of the economy because they are ‘price takers’ in a global economy;