" $ 5 6 " - * 5 4 r / & 8 4 PIERRE LEMIEUX LAUNCHES FARM PROTEST PETITION
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
EJTQVUFSFWJFXDMBVTFPG/"'5"BTQBSUPG the USMCA, and also protecting Canadian media from potential hostile takeovers by American corporations. “It’s evident that they (Canadian govern- ment) have sacrificed dairy, egg, and chicken farmers,” said Lemieux. “Those farmers are very upset.” 8JUIBTTJTUBODFGSPN$POTFSWBUJWF.1 Guy Lauzon of Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry, Lemieux has launched a petition project, with notices on his own campaign website, ads in local media and a brochure mail-out, explaining the purpose of the petition and asking for signatures. “There was a wave of signatures after the newspaper ads came out,” said Lemieux, “and a second wave after the brochures went out.” He noted that the current rotating postal strike has delayed the arrival of brochures in some parts of the riding but he is not worried about that, as the petition project is just getting underway. “I haven’t done a tally yet, but people are concerned,” he said, adding that he will present the petition to Parliament at a later date. %VSJOH BO JOUFSWJFX/PWFNCFS .1 Drouin said he is willing to forward a petition to Parliament whenever Lemieux presents it to his office. He has received local feedback about the impact of the USMCA on Canada’s farm sector. “Obviously dairy took a hit,” he said. “They (dairy farmers) are not happy about that and I understand. But I still do believe that the agricultural sector here will be strong.” Drouin also expressed scepticism about how much actual worth Lemieux’s project will have, unless the former Conservative MP regains his seat as the GPR representative in the next federal election. “If he’s not promising to repeal the USMCA, then it’s just an empty promise,” said Drouin regarding the petition. “But I’ll be happy to present it to Parliament.” In a follow-up phone call to the Tribune- &YQSFTT .BSUJO3PZ %SPVJOTBTTJTUBOU forwarded the MP’s concern that Lemieux’s petition does not follow the proper procedure for members of the public to file petitions to Parliament. Access to the petition is through Lemieux’s website which is authorized by the GPR Conservative riding association and the petition also asks those who sign
adding there is a sense of “betrayal” among farmers and others in the Glengarry-Prescott- Russell riding, over Canada’s actions during negotiations for the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). 5IF64.$"XJMMSFQMBDFUIF/PSUI"NF - SJDBO'SFF5SBEF"HSFFNFOU /"'5" PODF Congress, Parliament, and the Mexican legislature have all ratified the new conti- nental trade agreement. Canadian negotia- tors allowed for some concessions in the agreement to American dairy imports in return for maintaining the existing all-party
Conservative candidate Pierre Lemieux says farmers in Glengarry-Prescott- Russell feel betrayed by the federal government over the new free trade agreement. He’s collecting signatures for a petition which he plans to present to MP Francis Drouin and Parliament. “I know that people support local farmers and their families,” said Lemieux during an JOUFSWJFXPWFSUIF/PWFNCFSXFFLFOE
it if they want to be volunteers. The concern from Drouin’s office is the petition may be a tactic to collect names and emails of people in the riding for addition to a future election campaign contacts list. During a followup phone interview Tuesday morning, Lemieux explained that he had not planned to present the MP’s office with the petition once all the signatures were tallied up. “There are many different kinds of petition,” Lemieux said, adding that his did not conform to the guidelines set by Parliament for a public petition to the House of Commons. “The aim of this petition is to allow people in our riding a chance to express their sup- port for farmers in our riding,” he said, adding that MPs are able to make statements in Parliament on any topic in response to their constituents’ concerns. “There are many ways to make peoples’ voices heard.” Lemieux denied that the petition is to build up an election campaign contacts list. i/P UIFJOUFOUPGUIFBET*QMBDFEJO newspapers and the brochures I mailed out to farmers and their families and others is to inform them and to allow them to express their opinion,” he said. Prescott-Russell recueille des signatures d’agriculteurs et d’autres personnes de la circonscription dans une pétition. —archives Pierre Lemieux soutient que le gouvernement canadien a trahi les agriculteurs de l’est de l’Ontario et du reste du pays en acceptant les modalités de l’Accord États-Unis- Mexique-Canada, qui remplacera l’Accord de libre-échange nord-américain. Le candidat conservateur de Glengarry-
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