PRESS RELEASE
Date: September 3, 2008
For release: Immediate

Former Canadian Federation of Agriculture President to run for Liberals in Manitoba

WINNIPEG – Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) President Bob Friesen will be the Liberal candidate for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia in the upcoming federal election, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said today.

 
"Bob Friesen has devoted his life to rural Canada and our farming communities," said Mr. Dion at the Liberal caucus meeting in Winnipeg.

 
"Throughout his career, Mr. Friesen has been a strong voice for agricultural producers. I am confident he will represent the Liberal Party with the same passion and determination for the people of Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia as their Member of Parliament in Ottawa."

 

As president of the CFA for the last nine years, Mr. Friesen has represented farmers from every province and every commodity sector. He has also been an advocate for Canadian producers on the world stage through international trade talks with the World Trade Organization.

"Like many people in Canada's farming community, I've been very disappointed by the Conservative government's agricultural policies," said Mr. Friesen. "I'm convinced that the Liberal Party is the best choice for farmers and that is why I am proud to carry the Liberal banner in Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia in the next election."

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In other news I am very pleased at the most recent Liberal green plank to help farmers, truckers and the fisheries adapt to the Green Shift... see below 

Liberals announce new initiatives to help farmers, fishers, truckers and forestry industry go green 

WINNIPEG - A new Liberal government will provide $900 million in green tax incentives and rebates to help the agriculture, forestry, trucking and fisheries industries invest in cleaner technology, reduce their carbon emissions and save money, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion announced today.  

"Through the summer, Canadians came with good ideas to improve the Liberal green shift plan, to make it stronger. And we listened," Mr. Dion told the Liberal caucus at its summer meeting in Winnipeg.  "As a result of this open consultation, it is with great pleasure that I announce today that the Liberal environmental and economic plan will now include $400 million in Emissions Reduction Credits, a $250 million Green Farms Fund and a $250 million Green Fisheries and Transportation Fund."

Mr. Dion said these new initiatives for Canadian farmers, fishers, truckers and the forestry industry are in addition to the significant tax cuts, the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance for investment in green machinery and equipment, and the green rural credit, already provided in the Liberal green shift plan, which he announced earlier this summer.

Emission Reduction Credits will encourage and reward industries such as farming and forestry that are achieving verified reductions in non-energy greenhouse gas emissions. 

Mr. Dion explained that the Emissions Reduction Credits will work as a bridge towards a cap and trade system that will be created under a new Liberal government in addition to the Liberal green shift plan.

"I have said before that I would like to bring in a cap and trade system that puts a price on carbon and rewards emission reductions," said Mr. Dion. "As we develop our cap and trade system in the coming years, our Emissions Reduction Credits will immediately provide a financial incentive for practices such as minimum-till farming and carbon storage."

A new Liberal government will also invest $250 million into a Green Farms Fund.  This Fund will support research in, and provide rebates on, green farm technologies that reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Similarly, the new Green Fisheries and Transportation Fund would provide $250 million in rebates and incentives for investments in technologies and upgraded equipment that reduce fuel consumption, such as anti-idling power devices for the trucking industry and on-shore power facilities for the fisheries industry.

"The costs of fossil fuels are only going to go up as time goes on. In no uncertain terms, the most effective and sustainable solution is to help farmers, fishers and truckers reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternatives. A Liberal government will do just that," said Mr. Dion. 

Mr. Dion said Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems determined to break his own fixed election date law and send Canadians to the polls.

"We will bring together the environment and the economy, not pit them against each other," he said. "We will build a more competitive economy, a cleaner environment, and a fairer society. We will fight the climate change crisis while making Canada more energy efficient. All this is possible. We have the plan; we have the team; we have the leadership."

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