Farmers Protest

 In our Utopian society, the government needs to think of ways to pay the farmers for what they have been doing for their country and it's people. The government also needs to reply to all of the questions that the farmers have. The farmers are upset with the government, because the farmers have been doing lots of work and they want to ship some stuff to other countries, but they won't take it for all the money the other people are asking for.

 About 2 weeks ago between near here but on one of our 4 lane highways; the 401, about 230 slow moving tractors were staging a protest. The farmers were trying to catch the government's attention. The farmers were pulling around a wooden coffin that said, " Here lies our Premier, Dalton McGuinty." The farmers think McGuinty is ruining Rural Ontario. All of the farmers think he is doing a bad job.

 Many local tobacco farmers also wanted to inform the liberal government to live up to an election promise of a $50 Million dollar buyout of their tobacco rights, in order to help the tobacco (leaf) growers exit the industry. The blockade on the 401 started at about 8:00 am. The tractors exited the highway at Putnam right after 1:00 pm.  

The government hasn't been responding on all the questions nor have they agreed to meet at the bargaining table. They are not going to let McGuinty destroy Rural Ontario. He's seems to have a fight on his hands. It is hoped civil disobedience will speed up the process of getting producers' issues resolves.

We live in a free country and there is a need for this type of demonstration because the consulting process takes way to long. If politicians don't take note of this, there's going to be a continuation of civil disobedience. The 400 series highway was spotted with the hope it would get the attention of urban Ontarians.

 They say that landowners and farmers who already face falling prices for their crops, face a bewildering array of new government regulations that will either cost them excessive amounts of money or severely restrict what they can do with their land.. From having to set up chlorination systems for wells to coming up with complex plans on the spreading of manure on fields, they are now being pushed to the brink, the coalition warns. Meanwhile police directed urban commuters through the country side roads in order to avoid the blockade. Throughout the big protest, there were a few, if any urbanities present, with saying the exception of the media.  

They hope the urban Ontarians got my message, then eventually Queen's Park will get it too. It's not a case of when. It's a case of what's going to happen. Some farmers aren't as convinced that urbanites were having their eyes wide opened to the issues plaguing Rural Ontario.

They don't want to be negative toward urban people, but all of them aren't getting the right message. They're just seeing to this mild inconvenience today. That's why more protests similar to Friday's are needed until the province listens to all of the farmers and their problems about the legislation.

If the message is said long enough and they hear it enough times, maybe they will live up to their promises. The farmers have planned the 400 series highways and at international border crossing every Friday until the province fulfills the farmers' requests.  

If there is no action taken by the government to amend the legislation in question, the convoy of tractors will descend on Queen's Park. The day green belt protection legislation is expected to be passed; a legislation that takes away a farmer's right to do what he/she wants with their land.

Farmers would rather not have to resort to protesting at ALL. In Utopia it is hoped that the government will work together with the farmers and do what is best to maintain a prosperous farming community and at the same time preserve the land for future use.