(OTTAWA) – This week the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) continued its national campaign for better agricultural safety nets programs, bringing the message directly to Canada’s top decision makers on Parliament Hill. The Directors of the CFA, farm leaders from every province and representing every commodity sector, met with Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament from every political party in the House of Commons. Representatives also made presentations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Standing Committee on Finance.

“The Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization (CAIS) does not work for every region and commodity sector in this country. To get safety nets programs that do, we have been discussing the problems and the options with our government representatives and urging them to help push for change,” said Bob Friesen, CFA President. “A safety nets program that is neither predictable nor bankable is hardly a safety net at all.”

The meetings on Parliament Hill are part of a larger national campaign to ensure farmer-developed solutions form the basis of the next generation of agricultural safety nets programs. CFA members have already launched a grassroots postcard campaign which has farmers across the country sending a message to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and their local MPs.

CFA is urging the federal government to join it in exploring the idea of replacing the top tier of CAIS with a new and improved version of the National Income Stabilization Accounts (NISA) program. The CFA safety nets proposal also includes funding flexibility for regional companion programs because no one national program can address all regional and commodity needs.

“Solutions developed without input from farmers and farm organizations just haven’t worked for farmers. It’s now time for solutions to be developed in partnership with farm organizations,” said David Rolfe, President of Keystone Agricultural Producers (Manitoba). “This is what the farmer in the field wants. That’s the message we brought to MPs and Ministers this week.”

In their meetings CFA representatives also touched on other issues of concern to the agriculture industry, including the need for a long-term national plan and the need for a Canadian Farm Bill.

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Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations as well as national and inter-provincial commodity organizations from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.