Fraser Valley Conservative MPs Must Explain Why They Allowed Harper To Sell Out The Dairy Industry
By Mike Archer. If Stephen Harper’s re-ignition of the long-stalled EU Trade talks this summer was designed to move our attention away from his Senate scandal, it didn’t work.
If it was designed to help him and his Alberta Tories get re-elected in Beef Country at the expense of his MPS in Quebec, Ontario and BC in Dairy Country, then those MPs are going to have a lot of explaining to do when it comes time to ask for money or support from their constituents.
MPs Mark Strahl, Ed Fast and Mark Warawa, all of whom represent and rely on dairy farmers as major contributors of financial and political support will have a hard time explaining what all the money and support brought, especially Ed Fast, who, supposedly was heavily involved in Harper’s deal as his trade minister.
Initial reports showing the dairy industry was thrown under the bus in favour of better access to EU markets for the Alberta beef industry were met with a carefully worded press release in one chain newspaper in the area – Trade deal will benefit many in Fraser Valley – and otherwise … silence
With revelations published by the Huffington Post this weekend – EU Trade Deal Documents: Canada Gave Away More Than It Needed To – which show the EU clearly feels it put one over on Harper and Fast, especially in the area of cheese and dairy products.
The Huff Po revelations also indicate EU officials were so happy with the way they were able to push Harper and Fast around that they intend to use the Canada-EU deal as a template in dealing with other countries like the US.
It is doubtful the US will be as prepared as Harper and Fast to throw any major US business or agricultural sectors under the bus the way Harper and Fast did, but the fact the EU is crowing over how it took us to the cleaners will certainly make dairy farmers in the Fraser Valley ask what all their financial and political support for Strahl, Fast and Warawa got them.
With their consistent and constant braying about their ability to manage the economy, their seeming inability to do anything about the slow, steady decline of the economy, and their clear inability to look out for a major economic force in their constituencies, the three Conservative MPs from the Fraser Valley owe their constituents an explanation.