REALITY CHECK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2005

BORDER CLOSURE? WHAT BORDER CLOSURE?


OTTAWA - Two Conservative Members of Parliament are in Seattle, Washington today to once again show their support for Canadian cattle producers - support that the federal government refuses to give them.

While the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) fights on behalf of Canadian producers - appealing the injunction which closed the U.S. border to live Canadian cattle - our own Canadian government refuses to use every means at its disposal to defend Canadian livestock producers.

This latest inaction is just the most recent example of the federal Liberals' absenteeism on this file.

 

JULY 27, 2005: Conservative parliamentarians Rick Casson, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Critic Diane Finley will be present in a Montana court room to represent Canadian livestock producers and defend their interests. Shamefully, the Liberal government will not be attending. It did not even bother to seek official standing at this court hearing.

JULY 13, 2005: Conservative MPs James Bezan and Larry Miller showed their support by attending the USDA’s appeal to have the border injunction reversed. The federal government sent no one.

JUNE 9, 2005: Associate Conservative Agriculture and Agri-Food Critic, James Bezan, was the only federal Canadian politician to attend the USDA roundtable session in Minnesota.

MARCH 2-4, 2005: The Canadian agricultural sector was left voiceless yet again. Both Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Andy Mitchell, and Minister of International Trade, Jim Peterson, failed to attend a ministerial meeting in Kenya to discuss the various member countries commitments to the Doha Round. Without the presence of a Minister, no other representative of that country is allowed to speak - Canadian cattle producers lose again.

When are the Liberals going to do what taxpayers pay them to do and represent the real interests of Canadians and Canadian cattle producers?

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