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CHESTERVILLE —Defending the Liberal government’s agricultural record and reiterating its commitment to supply management, MP Wayne Easter faced a sometimes skeptical group of about 50 local farmers at the Legion here Nov. 28, just hours before the opposition parties in Ottawa triggered the federal election as expected.

At one point in his comments, Easter made the startling admission that he personally believed the farm income crisis would continue for another decade or more.

Referring to the ongoing World Trade Organization negotiations, which resume next month in Hong Kong, Easter remarked, "I personally maintain that even if we achieve the best deal possible at the WTO, we’ll still have a farm income crisis in 10 to 12 years time."

A former cabinet minister and current parliamentary secretary to the federal minister of agriculture and agri-food, Easter eased into the electioneering exercise on Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry soil by making the case that the Liberals support Canadian agriculture, while acknowledging that challenges remain.

The Prince Edward Island MP outlined his July report, Empowering Farmers in the Marketplace, which contains 46 recommendations for addressing a farm income crisis that continues despite "historic" federal and provincial farm support payments in recent years, he said.

Combined government support will reach "between five and six billion" in 2005, he predicted, up from $4.9-Billion in 2004 and $4.6-Billion in 2003.

"This is one of the most difficult years that farmers have ever seen," said the former National Farmers Union president. At the same time, he added, profits in the food processing sector will hit their highest or second highest levels in history.

The "fundamental problem," according to the MP, is that farmers "lack power in the marketplace" — with the exception of those commodities that were brought under supply management in the 1960s, by a Liberal government, he pointedly noted.

The Liberals intend to emerge from the WTO talks with supply management intact in the dairy, egg and poultry sectors, he asserted. They hope those sectors can be slotted into a so-called "sensitive products category" at the international trade body.

But as local Liberal candidate Tom Manley looked on, Easter later found himself in the thick of critical questions from farmers expecting more after 12 years of Grit rule.

The MP had just finished emphasizing the government’s commitment to supply management and farming in general, when Winchester dairy farmer Gerry Westenbroek blurted out, "I don’t believe the Liberal government has supported us.

"The Liberals have not supported supply management in dairy."

When Easter replied that supply management was working well, Westenbroek shot back, "I don’t believe it. There are too many imports coming in."

Westenbroek and others argued the government has effectively backed away from one of the "pillars" of supply management — control over imports — pointing to its apparent inability to stop the duty-free importation of butter-oil and milk protein isolates. As a result, farmers have experienced cuts in their production quota because the domestic system has lost market share to foreign imports.

Under continued fire from Westenbroek, Easter admitted the government doesn’t have a "back-up plan" for supporting supply-managed sectors in the event Canada loses at the WTO.

"The last thing we should do is ever concede we’re going to lose," he explained. "The whole issue is about empowerment of farmers."

"I don’t believe it, it’s just not happening," Westenbroek again concluded.

Chesterville egg farmer Tony Wouters complained that his industry was also losing out to foreign competition. At the moment, American eggs are so cheap, they’re able to compete in the Canadian marketplace, even after importers pay the (approximately) 160-percent duty, according to Wouters.

The farmer said that 1.3-million dozen, duty-paid eggs have been shipped into Canada since January. He expressed concern that current politicians don’t have the backbone to defend the system. "We’re hurting right now. We can’t negotiate any more away."

Easter vouched for his boss, federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Andy Mitchell, saying he had "a pretty strong backbone on this (supply management)."

But in an apparent reference to past ministers of agriculture, he added, "I’ll agree it hasn’t always been the case."

Easter raised concerns that Canada’s WTO negotiating team in Hong Kong could be weakened because of a coinciding federal election. He also warned his audience against casting their votes for the Harper Tories in the coming election, saying the Martin Liberals were "the only party that is in the position to strongly support supply management at the WTO."

Morrisburg beef farmer Arden Schneckenburger took the MP to task on his prediction for an extended crisis in Canadian farm incomes. Schneckenburger used it to bolster his pitch for a long-term Risk Management Program, "since you’ve admitted the crisis will last another 10 to 12 years," he said.

But in response to an earlier question, Easter indicated the federal government isn’t keen on the Risk Management Program proposal floated by a number of farm groups.

"I think it’s worthy of consideration. It would put Ontario somewhat along the lines of the Quebec model and the U.S. Farm Bill. The strategy of this government has not been to go that way."

Local equipment dealer Dan R Lalonde earned a round of applause when he reminded Easter that the Liberals ought to have had plenty of time to fix the problems in agriculture. "You’ve been in power 12 years. Why did you do nothing before?" said a "very, very frustrated" Lalonde, expressing disappointment in Easter’s "pep talk."

Lalonde criticized the government for spending money on "stupid stuff" instead of farmers — "the people that founded the country."

For his brief turn at the podium, Tom Manley pointed out that there are divisions in the farming community to complicate matters. "I don’t necessarily envy the (MP’s) job," he said, because of the contrary directions that different groups may push him to pursue.

In coming to the Liberal Party, Manley, formerly a Green, said he had abandoned the "political wilderness", and its "simple statements and easy ideas" that had carried him through two elections. Instead, he has come to realize that "everything is bloody complicated," he told the group.

Different organizations want different things, "and what the hell do you do?" he asked. "Because none of us politicians has magic answers."

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