Angry farmers block Ottawa streets

[tuvor]

A convoy of tractors plugged Ottawa streets and parked in front of Parliament Hill Monday as farmers staged their second protest in less than a month to demand that the federal government address what they say is an income crisis for food producers.

An open letter signed by 21 agricultural organizations to Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked that he take action “now — immediately .... Canada's farmers and the Canadians who depend on them cannot wait.”

The farmers blame the shortfalls that have affected the grain and oilseed producers on unfair subsidies in Europe and the United States.

There are farmers who cannot afford to plant their fields, said Bob Freisen, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. And the situation is so desperate, he said, that some of the people who brought their tractors to a massive protest on April 5 have simply never left the city.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060424.wfarmerz0424/BNStory/National/home

(These are the people to whom Harper owes his current position.)

[Bassic]

1. Actually, they only blocked one lane.

They've got some impressive looking equipment though.

[IntravenousDemilo]

3. "They've got some impressive looking equipment though"

I'll bet you say that to all the boys...

:evilgrin:

[Bassic]

4. Well no,

I say that to the girls :P

[Hand]

13. Locking--Sex Thread.

JUST KIDDING! :rofl:

[Canuckistanian]

2. Sounds like the Lanark Landowners again...

Soem of them are my neighbours.

[Bassic]

5. Well, some may come from Lanark,

But they come from many places in the country. They've been here for almost two weeks now.

[Bassic]

6. I think they're quite right in being ticked off.

I just don't think the Conservatives are perticularly interested in the plight of farmers. I guess we'll see next week with the budget.

[Bragi]

7. Yes, that's the group

Once again the leadership is from the Lanark County Back-Off-Government-Laws-Don't-Apply-to-Us-But-Give-Us-a-Big-Fat-Taxpayer-Financed-Subsidy-Anyway-Just-Because-We're-Farmers Alliance.

If you suspect that I have little sympathy for them, you are quite right. Rigt wing talk radio in Ottawa loves them, though.

- B

[Bassic]

8. You mean the ever gracegul Lorne Green?

That guy is so irritating it's a wonder he still has listeners.

[Canuckistanian]

10. Lowell Green

And yes, he is irritating, but he has a big following.

Hey, you're probably the closest another DUer has ever been to me. I'm just across the river from you right now.

:hi:

[Bassic]

11. Right, Lowell Green.

Forgive me for mixing up the names.

Yeah, I didn't think there were other DUers close to me either :hi:

[Canuckistanian]

9. I think some of them are nutcases

And if Lowell Green is for 'em, I'm against 'em.

[Bassic]

12. Well he's for the Lanark guys, some of them are a couple

of fries short of a happy meal. But there are a lot of farmers across the country who are very tired. They just dont understand why we keep giving money to Alberta's more than lucrative oil industry and so little to farmers. As a disclaimer, I have no idea what the actual figures are, but I do think that making sure farmers do a decent enough living to keep feeding us city dwellers.