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{\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.15.1515;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\lang1033\f0\fs24 Question: Do any of the National parties make a distinction between food security and food sovereignty.\par
\par
\b\fs28 New Democratic Party \fs24\par
\b0\par
Only time Sovereignty is mentioned is in the Protecting Canadian Sovereignty And The North Section (nothing on FOOD sovereignty). \par
Food Security is outlined. \par
\par
\pard\sl240\slmult1\b Under: 'Protecting Consumers, Communities and the Public'\par
\b0 Respect the right of families and individuals to know what they are eating:\par
\bullet Mandatory labelling of farmed fish and genetically engineered food, as is already done in Europe, Asia and Australia.\par
\bullet New labelling requirements to inform consumers of the region of origin of food products and\par
ingredients \endash so they know how far food has traveled to reach their table.\par
\par
\b Under: 'Food Safety'\par
\b0 Take action to ensure the food you buy in the store is safe to eat. We will work in consultation with consumers, workers and industry to:\par
Increase number of inspectors at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. We will increase administrative support so inspectors can spend more time on the floor and less time on paperwork.\par
Reduce worker injuries, increase the quality of the food, and ensure greater safety of products by introducing regulations on \ldblquote line speed\rdblquote in meat processing plants that match existing requirements in the European Union.\par
Improve the system for warning families of potential dangers with consistent policies for immediate public notification of food safety problems.\par
Require labeling of genetically engineered foods and farmed fish.\par
Require full accuracy and accountability for labels stating \ldblquote Made in Canada\rdblquote .\par
\par
\pard\b Under: 'Agriculture and Food Security'\par
\pard\sl240\slmult1\b0 Ensure that the preservation of orderly Canadian marketing systems, and the elimination of predatory export practices and subsidies are key priorities \endash both in domestic policy and in international trade negotiations.\par
Work with farm organizations and provincial governments to implement income stabilization programs that are consistent with our international trade obligations and approaches, tailored for each commodity sector, and focused on the family farms that most need the support.\par
Implement a Canadian organic food and agriculture strategy which will include:\par
\bullet Ban the use of Terminator seeds and protect every farmer\rquote s right to choose, save and control their seeds.\par
\bullet Provide transition funding for education, equipment and training for farmers who wish to shift to organic or bio-intensive integrated pest management systems of agriculture.\par
\bullet Support for independent agricultural extension workers to facilitate environmentally friendly farming methods, including low tillage, water conservation and reduced fertilizer and pesticide use.\par
Redress the imbalances of economic power between producers and agribusiness corporations, including limiting meat-packers\rquote ownership of cattle, by adding new provisions to the Competition Act.\par
Support the development of more producer-run cooperatives to act as a counterweight to the power of multinational agribusiness giants, and to encourage more value-added processing and jobs in Canada.\par
Entrench the Canadian Wheat Board as the single desk marketer for Canadian wheat and barley, and commit Canadian policy to the principle of orderly marketing systems for commodity sectors.\par
Improve access to farm safety net funding for natural disasters and poor markets, particularly for small farms.\par
\pard \par
\b Link: http://xfer.ndp.ca/campaign2008/Agricultural_Platform_2008_EN.pdf \b0\par
\b and http://www.ndp.ca/xfer/campaign2008/Platform_2008_EN.pdf\par
\b0\par
\b\fs28 Liberal\b0 \b\fs24\par
\b0\par
Plenary for the 2006 Leadership and Biennial Convention\par
\pard\sl240\slmult1 N o v e m b e r 2 9 \endash D e c e m b e r 3, 2006\par
M o n t r e a l, Q u e b e c\par
\par
\b Under: National Food Security Policy\par
\b0 Government agricultural programs and policies in recent years have been designed on the premise of a successful outcome of the Doha round of WTO negotiations \endash talks aimed at reducing domestic supports, increasing market access, eliminating export subsidies and maintaining our supply management system as well as the Canadian Wheat Board; and\par
these talks have failed, making decisive action necessary to help Canadian producers face a new economic and policy reality; and Canadian producers must have sustainable incomes and all partners in the agri-food production chain deserve the opportunity to succeed and be profitable; and Canada has no formal strategy to maintain a safe, affordable food supply;\par
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada supports setting as a national priority the establishment of a fully-funded and long-term National Food Security Policy which views the nation\rquote s ability to produce safe and reliable agricultural products as an issue of national sovereignty and security; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada supports the provision of an immediate and one-time cash investment into the agricultural sectors, at the primary producer level, of $3.66 billion.\par
\i National Liberal Caucus\par
\par
\b\i0 Under: Supply Management\par
\b0 The Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector is integral to our high standard of living and quality of life; and the Liberal Party of Canada committed in the 2004 Moving Canada Forward Platform Bulletin on Supporting Canada\rquote s Farmers to defend orderly marketing systems, including supply management systems for dairy, poultry, and eggs; and the Prime Minister\rquote s Caucus Task Force on Future Opportunities in Farming recommended that the federal\par
government continue to uphold our orderly marketing systems on all fronts and against all challenges; and there are immediate threats to the import controls pillar, thereby threatening one of the three pillars upon which supply management stands; and these threats are leading to the erosion of the domestic market for dairy, poultry, and eggs; BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the federal government to reaffirm its commitment to supply management and the sectors under supply management whose producers provide Canadians with the highest quality of dairy, poultry, and egg products; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the federal government to formally recognize and reflect in agriculture and trade initiatives the three pillars of supply management as: import controls, producer pricing,\par
and production planning; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the federal government to reflect their commitment to supply management and the three pillars through the realization of new tariff rate quotas for dairy products under Canada\rquote s WTO commitments.\par
\i Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario)\par
\par
\b\i0 Under: National Water Policy and Water Sovereignty\par
\b0 Water is critical to our ecosystems, human health, agriculture and industry; and massive inter-basin diversions of water and ground water extractions for bottled water have all been\par
considered as options for water export and all may have an adverse effect; and the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and eight of the United States purported to enter into agreements dealing\par
with the Great Lakes and diversions and withdrawals of water therefrom although such agreements are outside of their jurisdiction; and water may be considered a tradeable good under NAFTA, thus putting water at risk of being treated as a commodity under NAFTA; and there is a significant lack of research on the impact of diversions and withdrawals on the relationship\par
between groundwater, surface water and watersheds; and on Great Lakes\rquote water levels and flows;\par
BE IT RESOLVED that Canada assert its sovereignty over all boundary waters, including the Great Lakes, by:\par
1. imposing a moratorium on further diversions or withdrawals from such waters until adequate research has been conducted;\par
2. negotiating exemptions of water from international trade agreements; and\par
3. conducting research, in cooperation with the provinces, into the effects of withdrawals and diversions, the relationship of groundwater, surface water and watersheds to provide objective scientific data.\par
\i Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario)\par
\par
\i0 The Liberal Party of Canada urge the Government of Canada to:\par
1. Renew its commitment to public health agencies and preventative health programs.\par
2. Promote healthy lifestyle choices through education programs, food security guarantees,\par
accurate nutritional reports, and innoculations; and \par
3. Partner with the provinces to promote healthy lifestyle choices through coordinated programs,\par
regulations, legislation and joint funding.\par
\i Liberal Party of Canada in Alberta\par
\b\i0\par
Link: http://www.liberal.ca/pdf/docs/2006_resolutions_e.pdf\par
\par
\pard\fs28 Conservative \fs24\par
\pard\sl240\slmult1\par
\cf1\b0 Conservatives only talk about Sovereignty when they're talking about 'Defending Our Arctic Sovereignty' (once again).\par
\par
\b Under: Improving Food Safety\par
\b0 Implement the Food Safety Action Plan, which over the next four years will invest more than $160 million in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to hire new inspectors, better\par
track imports and improve safety systems & proceed with an impartial third-party investigation of the recent listeriosis outbreak.\par
\par
\b Under: Ensuring Truth in Labeling for Consumer Goods\par
\b0 Extend our new truth in labelling guidelines for food products to consumer products, ensuring that Canadians know more about the products they purchase. As was done with food products, the use of the \ldblquote Product of Canada\rdblquote label will be restricted to consumer products where both the contents and processing are Canadian. Qualified \ldblquote Made in Canada\rdblquote labels will be used for consumer products that are processed in Canada, but contain imported content, such as \ldblquote Made in Canada from imported\par
\par
\b Under: Enacting Stronger Consumer Product Safety Legislation\par
\b0 Follow through on consumer product safety legislation providing for more inspection and testing of food, toys and consumer products to ensure that dangerous products are swiftly recalled. The\par
legislation will also establish stiff offenses and penalties for violations & ensure that any regulation of natural health products balances the protection of Canadians' health and safety with the freedom to \par
choose alternative products.\par
\pard\b\par
\pard\sl240\slmult1 Link: http://www.conservative.ca/media/20081007-Platform-e.pdf\cf0\par
\b0\i\par
\b\i0\fs28 Green\b0\i\fs24\par
\i0\par
\b Under: Agriculture and food\par
\b0 For centuries, family farms were the foundation of our society and economy. Over the last five decades, federal policies, subsidies and changing technologies have shifted food production from small ecologically sustainable family farms to giant agribusinesses. This shift has given multinational corporations control over our food supply. Meanwhile, farmers increasingly rely on off-farm income to survive.\par
Our food security and safety is threatened directly by agribusiness, as factory farms crowd chickens, turkeys, cows and pigs into inhumane and unhygienic conditions creating the risk of serious health threats from toxic spinach to mad cow disease and avian flu. Animals are often pumped full of chemicals and hormones while many crops are now genetically modified and treated with pesticides.\par
\b\par
Our Vision\par
\b0 The health of Canada\rquote s population today and in the future depends on the environmentally sustainable production of wholesome food. We must restructure our agricultural markets to sustain farming and provide farm families with a fair share of the consumer food dollar. We want to expand local small-scale agriculture and support a rapid transition to organic agriculture rather than subsidizing costly agro-chemicals, industrial food production and genetically modified crops.\b\par
\b0 People need good food. With growing concerns over economic and climatic instability, a reliable domestic food supply is essential. Family owned and operated farms of small to medium size constitute the most reliable, high quality and economical food production system, now and into our uncertain future. The Green Party of Canada supports family farmers as environmental stewards and as efficient producers of nutritious food. The family farm is the primary unit of production. Agricultural policies must be designed to keep family farms economically viable. We support the active participation of Canadian farmers in export markets where this is consistent with achieving their most important role \endash servicing domestic markets for healthy food and sustaining Canada\rquote s agriculture resource base. We support education of Canadian consumers to value and prefer that which is grown locally.\par
\i\par
\b\i0 Green Solutions\par
\b0 Green Party MPs will:\par
* Develop and implement a National Agricultural and Food Policy that:\par
a) Moves towards regional food self-sufficiency across Canada, as we begin the shift to\par
organic agriculture as the dominant model of production;\par
b) Prioritizes fair trade in agricultural exports and imports;\par
c) Ensures that supply management systems provide stable domestic markets, viable\par
farm income and permit unregulated production by smaller and family farms that sell\par
to local markets;\par
d) Supports the Canadian Wheat Board to ensure the fair trading of high quality\par
Canadian grains;\par
e) Supports local food economies by enabling local areas, without industrial scale\par
agriculture, to develop area-specific food safety regulations meeting national\par
standards without placing undue financial burdens on local farmers and food\par
processors;\par
f) Shifts government-supported research away from biotechnology and energyintensive\par
farming and towards organic food production;\par
g) Ensures the quality and wholesomeness of food by strengthening the monitoring of\par
pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, growth hormones, non-therapeutic antibiotics and\par
insecticides in food production, processing and storage with the goal of an orderly\par
reduction in detectable residues of these substances until they reach undetectable\par
limits;\par
h) Incorporates the right of farm workers to earn a living wage and have safe working\par
conditions;\par
i) Protects and improves the quality of water in our streams, lakes and aquifers by\par
requiring farm practices that avoid contamination by agricultural run-off;\par
j) Encourages and supports the consumption of locally grown food by promoting\par
adequate shelf space in grocery chains for products from local farms and local food\par
processors;\par
k) Ensures that farm support payments are farm-based (not production based) to\par
encourage more farms and more farmers;\par
l) Includes organic and extensive farming methods in educational information made\par
available to farmers and encourages the increase of extensive farm practices to\par
improve farm profitability and sustainability;\par
m) Establishes a federally funded community-guided school lunch programs across\par
Canada to ensure that our children have daily access to healthy local food and can\par
learn about sustainable food production and healthy eating;\par
n) Supports the \ldblquote 200 kilometre diet\rdblquote (eating locally grown food) through expansion of\par
farmers\rquote markets and local culinary tourism activities;\par
o) Minimizes the effects of climate change by encouraging farming methods that\par
increase carbon sequestration and decrease water requirements, with financial\par
rewards through domestic carbon trading;\par
p) Provides transitional assistance for those switching to certified organic farming\par
practices;\par
q) Improves and strengthens the Canadian Organic Standard;\par
r) Specifies that research leading to the development of new cultivar varieties and\par
animal breeds remains in the public domain;\par
s) Increases publicly funded research into seed stock, animal breeds and organic\par
farming techniques and establishes new policies for private research efforts to ensure\par
that they are in the best interests of family farmers and consumers;\par
t) Promotes heritage seed banks and seed exchange programs; and,\par
u) Establishes greenhouse gas emission targets for all components of the agri-food\par
system and collaborates with industry in establishing plans for meeting them.\par
* Protect Canada\rquote s agricultural resource base by:\par
a) Introducing cost-shared programs to help farmers protect wildlife habitat areas and\par
marginal lands, maintain water quality in streams, lakes and aquifers and retain and\par
improve soil quality;\par
b) Setting up an Environmental Farm Plan Program to provide new funding sources\par
for implementation at the farm level;\par
c) Strengthening the Plant Protection and Health of Animals Programs with measures\par
to ensure the integrity of farm food products; and,\par
d) Strengthening the role of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) and\par
extending the scope of its work, such as arresting soil erosion, to all of Canada.\par
* Assist farmers in adapting to the unavoidable impacts of climate change by:\par
a) Improving forecasting techniques, developing appropriate technology and\par
anticipating emerging challenges; and,\par
b) Restructuring Canada\rquote s Business Risk Management Programs to help farmers cope\par
with climate risk, especially in the areas of disaster assistance and production\par
insurance.\par
* Promote roof top gardens, cultivation of green urban space for agriculture, food\par
production in cities and suburbs and community gardens.\par
* Reform agriculture regulations to challenge corporate concentration, eliminate\par
international dumping and subsidies and continue to allow seed saving by farmers.\par
* Work with provinces to ensure that all livestock waste is recycled safely and no animal\par
by-products are used in animal feed.\par
* Legislate to prevent the patenting of life forms and to ensure that developers of\par
genetically engineered crops are liable for any damage those crops cause\par
\i\par
\b\i0 Agriculture\b0\par
Agriculture (55 MT) accounts for 7% of Canada\rquote s emissions. 43% comes from dairy and\par
beef herds emitting methane; 40% from poor soil fertilization practices releasing N2O; and\par
15% from poor manure management from penned livestock herds. Because of the multiple\par
benefits of organic farming methods, a Green government will work to assist non-organic\par
farmers who wish to transit to organics to make the switch. Local food production will be\par
encouraged to reduce emissions from transport.\par
Urban agriculture will be encouraged to provide more local food, as well as more green\par
roofs, reducing air conditioning demand and run-off in deluge rains.\par
\par
\b Link: http://www.greenparty.ca/en/en/policy/visiongreen\b0\par
\b\i\par
\b0\i0 Other Links to Check Out:\i\par
\pard\i0\par
Agriculture and Food Sovereignty by Choike - a portal on Southern civil societies\par
http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1799.html \par
\par
Food Sovereignty - Turning The Global Food System Around\par
http://organic.com.au/news/2005.04.20/\par
\par
Liberal document about - Canadian Farmers: Targeted Action for Results\par
http://www.liberal.ca/pdf/docs/080306_ag_tf_report_en.pdf\par
\pard\sl240\slmult1\par
Here is a forum about an e-summit held by Carolyn Bennett - liberal M.P. ,St. Paul`s\par
Questions about what "the core mandate" is and who defines it... and What does "food sovereignty" mean? Responses with answers posted as well.\par
Link: http://forum.liberal.ca/en/forums/t/2393.aspx\par
}