In response to the crisis currently affecting the agricultural sector in Quebec, Québec solidaire (QS) is asking the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government to create an emergency fund for farmers in anticipation of the harvest season.
At the end of March, Prime Minister François Legault called the difficulties facing farmers a “crisis” and promised to help them more. However, according to QS co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the government must act more quickly.
“We cannot wait for the next budget to give agricultural producers a little breathing room. Of course, there are many things to do, there are many programs to review, and there are issues that will not be resolved in a few days. But one action that the Prime Minister must take quickly is to release an emergency fund to provide immediate financial assistance to agricultural producers who need it, because the last season was catastrophic, and 2024 is coming. difficult too,” he detailed in an interview.
Several farmers’ protests have taken place in different regions of the province in recent weeks. Friday, the Federation of the Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) of Montérégie held a demonstration in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where more than a hundred tractors circulated in the streets. Mr. Nadeau-Dubois was on the scene.
“I have done quite a few protests in my life, but I have never seen so much distress in a protest, [ce que] I saw Friday, he said. I have never seen this in a demonstration of 40, 50 year old men having to interrupt their speech because they start to cry. »
The QS co-spokesperson believes that the amount of the emergency fund must be determined in discussion with agricultural producers. However, he believes that the amount allocated to agriculture in the government’s latest budget is insufficient.
“Agricultural producers are being hit hard by climate change, and they are a bit like the canaries in the mine. It is the first sector of the economy to be hit so hard, but gradually, all sectors of the economy will end up being hit,” said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
The UPA Federation of Montérégie plans to hold a new event on Wednesday in Vaudreuil-Dorion, and another on Friday on the site of the Saint-Hyacinthe Agricultural Expo.