By Martin Caron, President-General, L’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA)
As is the case every year at the end of the summer season, some 200 representatives of the UPA and its affiliated organizations took part in Back-to-School Day on August 22 in Trois-Rivières. With the theme “100 years of collective action!”, the activity provided an opportunity to take stock of the past few months and address issues for the fall.
Last spring’s mobilization, in which more than 4,500 producers participated at 17 regional gatherings, of course, occupied a large part of the discussions. This major fed-up feeling was expressed in the wake of the Québec government’s inadequate responses to the industry’s expectations in 2023. More substantial support was required given the difficult economic context of the last two years, to which was added a series of extreme weather events that severely affected the horticultural sector (rain) and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (drought). The needs were also great in terms of the next generation and the pork sector.
In June, the Government of Québec finally responded to our requests by announcing six measures totalling $233.6 million. We can certainly highlight the openness of Minister André Lamontagne in this matter, but also the personal intervention of Premier François Legault. We will have to closely monitor the deployment of all these measures.
This outcome marked an important step forward, but the medium and long-term challenges are still numerous. I am referring in particular to the geopolitical context, market volatility, the growth in production costs, the increase in interest expenses and the growing debt. I am also referring to the labour shortage, the increase in land values, climate change, the lack of updating of several risk management programs and the current tax and regulatory environment, which does not always favour their growth.
This is why we will continue, in the coming months, to call for budgets, policies and measures that reflect the critical importance of agriculture and agri-food in the community and we firmly believe that the renewal of the Québec bio-food policy next year must serve as a springboard in all these respects.
Ultimately, this exercise must meet the expectations of producers, the next generation and their respective organizations with regard to budgets, policies and programs, in response in particular to societal expectations, the specific needs of peripheral regions (priority MRCs) and the reality of local farms. It must also lead to reasoned environmental regulations that promote an optimal business environment, that respects the pace of adaptation of businesses and that recognize the professionalism of producers.
Land use planning is also an issue to monitor, in particular in light of the follow-up to the national consultation on territory and agricultural activities. We will have to ensure that the legislative changes that are being considered, if any, truly aim to fully defend our food pantry and strengthen all the mechanisms needed to protect it.
We will also monitor the progress of several bills, such as the protection of supply management (C-282), mines (Bill 63), energy resources (Bill 69), animal health protection (Bill 70), pricing of greenhouse gas pollution (C-234) and the establishment of deemed trusts (perishable fruits and vegetables).
As its theme indicates, Back-to-School Day was driven by one of the distinctive features of the Québec agricultural community: collective action. Our organization has been demonstrating this for 100 years this year, and I am convinced that we will continue in the same vein.
