Prime Minister tells Quebec farmers government working on targeted inflation aid – Montreal
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is looking at ways to provide targeted support to farmers struggling with inflation.
Speaking at a meeting with farmers at the headquarters of the Quebec Farmers Union in Longueuil, Trudeau said he wanted to ensure that aid to farmers would not exacerbate inflation.
He said the government wants to make sure farmers and struggling people can hold out for the next six months to a year while inflation starts to slow.
Daniel Lebelle, a dairy and grain farmer in the Centre-du-Quebec region, told the prime minister that his costs had risen by 40% since inflation began to rise.
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Yves Laurencel, a cattle and blueberry farmer, told Prime Minister Trudeau that he would be fine if the aid was targeted, but farmers could not afford to wait.
He says this isn’t just a business issue, it’s also an emotional issue. Because when farms go bankrupt, farmers often lose the land their parents and grandparents worked on.
“It’s not a matter of six months to a year, it’s two months,” Laurencelle said Wednesday.
“Family farm, it’s a matter of the heart. Tomorrow morning it goes bankrupt and I lose my grandparents’ and my parents’ businesses. I don’t know how I would react if that happened to me. A family that didn’t succeed.” .
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“It’s not the fault of the people at work, it’s the crisis we’re going through, but I want to tell you, Mr. Trudeau, you need help immediately.”
Trudeau told farmers the government would help them, but gave no details on how that would help.
“For me, the number one priority is to ensure that the way we can help you is not adding to another inflationary crisis and that you are holding out to get through the tough times,” Trudeau said. Stated. .
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