Just before the writ was dropped on Sunday to launch the election, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced a $500-million top-up in relief funding for farmers in northwestern Ontario and Western Canada impacted by drought and wildfires.
This is grafted onto the AgriRecovery funding of $100 million announced by Ottawa on Aug. 6.
Queen's Park recently committed up to $5 million as part of its 40 per cent share of the AgriRecovery program, a 60-40 federal-provincial cost-shared initiative under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, involving Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Alberta has committed $136 million, Saskatchewan $119 million and Manitoba $62 million.
The money provides direct assistance to affected livestock and agricultural producers to help them with added costs of obtaining livestock feed, transportation and water. Today's commitment of up to half a billion dollars shows we stand ready to contribute our share toward AgriRecovery programs with the provinces,” said Bibeau in a statement. “We are united in our goal of ensuring that farmers are fully supported through this crisis."
