MAY 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
7 Parties offer competing visions of ag future
Liberals hold the course against local focus of NDP, Greens by TAMARA LEIGH
VICTORIA – Agriculture took a surprising spin in the public spotlight before the writ even dropped for the provincial election this year. The BC Green Party took advantage of the calm before the storm to put forward the party’s first attempt at a cohesive agriculture policy. The BC NDP quickly followed, releasing its agriculture plan well ahead of the main party platform.--
One could say that the BC Liberals had already released their platform in Budget 2017 in February, and judging by the muted platform released in April, they are campaigning on a hold-the-course strategy. “Go back to last year’s
strategic plan for agriculture and seafood. That is the five- year plan that we are trying to put into action, and so far we have had great success,” says Norm Letnick (Kelowna-Lake Country) with the comfort that comes with being the sitting agriculture minister. Letnick rarely misses a beat,
referencing ministry statistics and strategic plans with ease. He’s a known commodity in BC agriculture, having held office as Minister of Agriculture for four years. Lana Popham (Saanich South) has led the agriculture file for the NDP for the past eight years. This election, her party has laid out a hands-on strategy to shift the provincial emphasis on agriculture from exports to securing the domestic market. “For the BC NDP, it’s really
important to change the cycle of agriculture policy that has been created by the current government where the promises, policy changes and funding commitments all work on an election cycle,” says Popham. “The goal of our plan is to create a long-term agriculture plan that takes the main focus off of international trade and refocuses on the domestic market and domestic supply and demand.” While the NDP support international trade and developing export markets, they are keen to capitalize on what Popham characterizes as “a missed opportunity” in not doing more to develop real demand in domestic markets. The NDP’s big policy plan is
Feed BC, a commitment that would require hospitals to spend a third of their food budget on BC products. “This is a game changer,”
says Popham. “As a whole province we can aim towards specific crop planning once we sit down with the institutions. Growers would know they need to supply so
NORM LETNICK
many pounds, and it may incent processors to grow their processing further.” Popham sees opportunities
for BC fruit, vegetable, cheese and even hazelnut producers expanding to meet the needs of roughly 100 hospitals in communities across the province. “For processors, if you were going to get a contract with the BC hospital system, you would have to source 100% BC product,” she says, adding that one of the trickle-down effects of the policy she hopes
to see is the expansion of processing capacity into different regions and rural communities. “The opportunities are enormous. It can be an economic driver right across the province.” The Liberals have been critical of the NDP, claiming they neglect export markets and trade agreements. At the same time, they have been defending their own record on domestic marketing. “It’s a balance, not only
exports,” says Letnick. “If you LANA POPHAM
look at the 49 action steps in the five-year plan, the majority are focused on domestic growth and domestic food security. These actions taken in concert between domestic consumption, processing and export will make a stronger agri-food sector.” Letnick points to the BC
Buy Local program and the recently announced Eat Drink Local initiative with the BC Restaurant Association, as well as the commitment to invest an additional half-million dollars in the Grow Local
program which provides funding to community agriculture projects as examples of diversifying the domestic market. “We also need to diversify
markets away from the United States,” says Letnick, expressing his concern about the Trump administration “tweaking” of NAFTA, and underlining the importance of trade agreements with other countries. “I don’t know how anyone
can say they support See ELECTION on next page o
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