We can’t even trust our leadership on matters of life and death. Former Prime Minister Minister Jean Chretien said he was against war in Iraq on principle. His principles, however, coincide with the millions of dollars his daughter would have reaped had Saddam Hussein stayed in power. Chretien’s daughter is married to Paul Desmarais of Power Corporation, who is the largest shareholder of Total Group, which owned, until Saddam Hussein was caught, 25 per cent of all development rights of Iraqi oil.

One aging Liberal who was handed a cabinet position, opined that he is personally against same-sex marriage but will vote in favour because he doesn’t want to lose his cabinet position. It doesn’t occur to him that doing what he believes is right would be more important than keeping his job.

Yet farm leaders still want to sit down and talk with MPs and MPPs as if they were all reasonable and above board. Even though agriculture is the reason rural economies survive, provincial and federal governments are willing to sacrifice those economies because they believe they have a plurality of voters to get them elected. Canada is no longer the stereotyped nice guy. This country is corrupted by greed and self-interest.

The Lanark Landowners Association knows this. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture should know this, too. But instead of the groups coming together they are caught in a conflict. The OFA should reflect that the LLA has filled a power vacuum because nothing was being done. OFA head office had become urban, middle class, comfortable and disconnected.

For the good of the farm community both groups should forget their differences.They should go to governments with one voice, because there is nothing more needed in farming than an agricultural policy with some vision. United farmers must take a vision of the sustainability of agriculture to Ottawa and Queen’s Park and demand action.