Liberals announce Regional Flexibility Fund for farmers

Dufferin — Caledon Liberal candidate Rebecca Finch has announced she was pleased with the latest announcement made by party leader Stephane Dion about the supports he is planning for the agricultural sector.

"I am pleased to support the announcement made by our leader, Stephane Dion," Finch stated. "Support for our agricultural sector is important right across Canada, but it is particularly important here, in Dufferin — Caledon, where the population is already heavily committed to the protection of our environment and where there is already a major wind power project."

Dion announced that a Liberal government would make major investments in rural Canada by introducing a $564-million Regional Flexibility Fund to support Canadian farmers.

"The agricultural sector faces challenges that are not the same across Canada. There's no use for cookiecutter, one-size-fits-all solutions. Farmers want regional solutions for regional problems and a Liberal government will deliver," Dion said.

This new program would see a Liberal government working in partnership with farmers and farm organizations to help fund the development of regionalspecific solutions. such as the Ontario Risk Management Program.

Together with the new Regional Flexibility Fund, a Liberal government will also: • introduce a new $30- million program to support the promotion of local farmers' markets and the branding of Canadian grown foods; • introduce a $400-million Emissions Reduction Credit available to farms that reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and • introduce a $250-million Green Farms Fund to help farmers invest in energyefficient technology and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

"The 21st-century economy will reward innovation, fuel efficiency and renewable resources," Dion commented. "A Liberal government will invest in partnership with farmers to make Canadian agriculture a leader in the green economy."

"Farmers said they can be major contributors to renewable energy and renewable materials," he added. "Farmers said they should be rewarded for protecting the environment and taking action on greenhouse gases. Farmers said oil prices are only going to go up and they need to reduce their costs of production. A Liberal government has listened and is delivering with real solutions."

Dion also explained that with these new initiatives, combined with progressive tax cuts, the accelerated capital cost allowance for green investments and improved tax benefits for science and research for new renewable technologies, the Liberal plan will flow close to $9 billion into rural Canada and agriculture over four years.

"This plan details the Liberal vision for investing in rural Canada, to build it for the future economy. For too long have we dealt only with disasters in agriculture," he said. "We have neglected investing in the future and positioning agriculture as a leader in the markets of the future. With this plan, a Liberal government will work in partnership with farmers to build a brighter future for Canadian farm families."