opinion
As Canadians, we pride ourselves on clean water, vibrant skies, the Rocky Mountains, maple syrup, playing hockey, and apologizing.
We have plenty of other things to be proud of, like our democracy and our ability to produce food for the world’s population, but when one or more of these things are undermined, the best response we can come up with these days seems to be “not bad.”
For example, there is a significant and serious infrastructure deficit in the country, and this exists at many levels, but let’s look at where it impacts agriculture.
Problems at congested ports and strike-prone railways are nothing new, and the situation isn’t getting better, three major commodity groups said this week. RealAgriculture editorial Outlining the very real impacts of labour issues and reduced export capacity, customers are beginning to wonder whether we can deliver what they need.
We also Learn about Members of Parliament As the National Security Commission report circulates on Capitol Hill, perhaps committing a little “mild treason” (thanks, Arrested Development), our collective response seems to be, “Oh well.”
And as for the Liberal government’s latest plan to abandon fiscal responsibility? Capital gains money makingWhat would Margaret Thatcher have said? Eventually, other people’s money runs out.
I know that big picture issues like world trade and political infighting aren’t always top of mind when trying to make things better — we’re all busy trying to make a living, raise crops and livestock, and maybe even children — but I wonder why we’re so apathetic, so complacent, so unwilling to take responsibility when things go wrong and to try to make it better.
I feel very lucky to have won the geographic lottery to have been born in Canada. We have good maple syrup, clean water, friendly neighbours and a democracy. All of these things are things we should be proud of. I just wish we hadn’t claimed them more.
Watch the rest of our conversation with Shaun Haney and Kelvin Heppner on RealAg Radio on June 14 below.
Related: Embracing the grey areas — the need for thoughtful debate in Canadian agriculture policy
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