Agriculture Leaders Debate

/ AlbertaFedAg

National Agriculture Leaders debate is Sept. 30
Register for the webcast and be there on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

(Updated post-debate: see link below for the recording of the event.)

With the federal election fast approaching, party leaders have been criss-crossing the country making their pitches to voters. In a series of debates, leaders have presented their plans for the economy, foreign affairs and other issues.

Tomorrow, Wednesday September 30, agriculture gets its turn in the spotlight. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is hosting a special online webcast event, the National Agriculture Leaders debate. The debate, which takes place in Ottawa, will be broadcast online. Debate participants are:

  • Hon. Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
  • Malcolm Allen, NDP Agriculture Critic
  • Mark Eyking, Liberal Agriculture Critic
  • Andrew West, Green Party; and
  • Yves Lessard, Bloc Québécois.

The debate takes place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Alberta time.

What’s on the agenda? The debate will allow each party to present its platform for the agriculture industry. CFA has also gathered video questions from farmers across the country. The parties’ agricultural representatives are there to answer those questions.

“This debate is an opportunity for parties to share their vision for how best to advance Canada’s agriculture industry,” says AFA President Lynn Jacobson, who’s also a member of CFA’s Board of Directors. “For this campaign, CFA is focusing on three issues of great importance to producers in Alberta and the rest of Canada: labour, business risk management and trade. I expect the debate will be a lively, informative discussion of these and other issues.”

Missed the webcast?

The National Agriculture Leaders debate can be viewed here.

Says Jacobson: “Many people have observed that agriculture has rarely been discussed in a significant way during this campaign. Here’s our chance. I invite AFA members, and all Alberta farmers, to attend the National Agriculture Leaders debate webcast.”

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