The Newsy Neighbour Magazine
December Issue #110
By Martin Shields
By now you have probably heard about the outbreak of Bovine
Tuberculosis (TB), causing concerns for many. This is cause of great concern to
me, and I have been fighting to get answers from the government on what sort of
relief can be expected in the short term.
I have now asked 3 questions of the government on this issue
in the House of Commons. I also had the opportunity to question our ranchers on
how the crisis is affecting them at a special meeting of the House of Commons
Agriculture Committee. I have spoken to the Ministers of Agriculture and
Health, and have written them letters seeking further clarity.
Unfortunately, the government, as well as the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency (CFIA) are staying tight lipped. I have been told to simply
refer concerned parties to the CFIA website for updates.
What I have made clear in my questions asked in the Commons,
and in my written correspondence as well as face-to-face conversations with the
Ministers, is that simply referring people to a government website is not good
enough. It’s not good enough that our hard-working farmers and ranchers are
being left in the dark, and that the government doesn’t have any further
answers to offer.
I have asked about compensation for those farm and ranch
families that will be stuck with cattle they had no intention of keeping over
the winter. As I have stressed, these families get 1 payday a year, before the
winter months descend upon our region. These families will need to pay for
special feed, they will need to pay for extra lodging for this cattle over the
winter months. This could cost farmers and ranchers tens of thousands of
dollars, all because they are under CFIA quarantine.
Some ranchers must foot the bill for months, for animals that
are designated by CFIA to be euthanized, with no opportunity to recover money
from cattle that would have been sold.
As your representative in Ottawa, I will continue to fight
for answers for all affected by the Bovine TB crisis.
On another note, Bill S-223, a much-maligned law sponsored by
now retired Liberal Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette on fireams, was dropped
from the Senate order paper. This means that it is no longer on the agenda.
Thank you, and for any questions or comments I can be reached
in Brooks at 403-793-6775 or 1-844-241-0020 or martin.shields.c1@parl.gc.ca; in
Strathmore at 403-361-2980 or martin.shields.c2@parl.gc.ca; in Ottawa
at 613-992-0761 or martin.shields@parl.gc.ca.
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