Achi news desk-
More than 300 Quebec farmers drove their tractors through the streets of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu on Friday to send a message to the provincial government, saying they are facing an existential crisis.
They say their costs have gone up and it’s becoming impossible to make a living.
Their message was simple: no farmers, no food, no future.
“We already have people going bankrupt. We already have people closing down, doing something else. Many farmers already have to work almost part-time, if not full-time, off the farm to make ends meet.” said Stéphanie Levasseur, vice-president of the Union des producteurs agricoles, the Quebec farmers’ union.
Production costs have doubled or tripled and high interest rates make it even more difficult to cover expenses. Farmers say on top of that, Quebec has some of the strictest regulations in the world.
“It’s a whole accumulation of different things that make it impossible in the end,” Levser said. “Agriculture Canada came out with the numbers two weeks ago where net farm income in Canada is going to be $66 million in 2024. It doesn’t make sense. There are 180,000 farms in Canada, that means that’s $350 per farm left in your pocket. At the end of the year to pay for your salary.”
To try to get the government’s attention, farmers plowed the streets of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu with tractors, calling for more respect.
Deputy Prime Minister Genevieve Gilbo, who represents the region, addressed the crowd and tried to reassure them that the government had their back.
But some farmers said it was not enough, that there was too much legislation and administrative work preventing them from leaving the fields.
Gilboll said she got the message.
“They said before, ‘We don’t want to be in our office on paperwork. We want to be out there producing food for our people.’ And we agree with that,” she said.
But the opposition in Quebec City said the latest budget shows the CAQ is not prioritizing farmers.
“Mr. Legault decided to invest less than 1 percent of his budget for the farmers of Quebec. It’s unacceptable. It’s insulting,” said Quebec Solidaire spokesman Gabriel Ndeau-Dubois.
Quebec Liberal agriculture auditor Andre Fortin agreed.
“They missed their chance to tell these people here that the government will be there for agriculture. So it will continue,” he said.
More demonstrations are planned in the coming weeks.
