"Keep ‘er between the ditches, Nick"

February 15th 2000

OTTAWA- Today Jay Hill, MP for Prince George-Peace River, delivered a Private Member’s Statement in support of Nick Parsons of Farmington, BC on his cross-country combine trek.

"…When I spoke to Nick he was in Watrous, , having coffee with 20 farmers at a Massey dealership before heading out for Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He describes his trip as "tears and fears",… a very emotional journey. On Monday a priest stopped Nick’s combine to talk about his fears regarding farmers in his parish on the verge of committing suicide. At the end of their conversation the priest reached into his wallet and donated $20 to Nick’s Survival of the Family Farm trust fund…" stated Hill.

The farm income crisis in Canada is due to a large extent to European and American agriculture subsidies, high taxes and onerous input costs on farm products. The federal government’s AIDA (Agriculture Income Disaster Assistance) program has been a disaster itself. Complicated forms and stringent requirements have disqualified most farmers leaving them with an uncertain financial future.

"All the money in the world on the Cabinet Table doesn’t do a farm family any good until it’s on their kitchen table," Hill added.

On January 12, 2000, over a hundred North Peace farmers gathered at the Farmington Community Hall to meet with Jay Hill, MP and Gerry Ritz, MP Battlefords-Lloydminster, as part of the Reform ASAP initiative (Action for Struggling Agriculture Producers). It was at that meeting that Nick Parsons decided to head out again on his combine to raise government awareness regarding the plight of Canada’s farmers. Nick Parsons’ first long distance trek with "Prairie Belle" was to Victoria to protest inadequate provincial government agricultural support.

"…I commend Nick on his monumental journey, and encourage Canadians from across the country to give him a call with messages of encouragement at area code 250-784-4677.

Keep ‘er between the ditches, Nick," Hill concluded.