By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
The National Farmers Union – Ontario (NFU-O) released a statement on Monday, refuting the decision made by a provincial tribunal last month to deny the farm group accreditation status. The Tribunal’s reasoning – the Saskatchewan-based National Farmers Union (NFU) had been representing Ontario farmers.
The release quotes Tony McQuail, a Huron County farmer and NFU-O member who calls the decision “inappropriate,” noting that unelected appointees shouldn’t tell NFU-O members how to run their organization. McQuail says that the Tribunal has misunderstood the relationship between NFU and NFU-O. John Sutherland, NFU-O president explains the relationship is similar to that of the federal and provincial governments.
“In Canadian government, there is a federal level with national and international jurisdiction, the provinces with their own legislatures and powers, and the municipalities, which look after the day-to-day work of making our lives better. There is cooperation between all three levels, and funding for the various projects is often shared for the betterment of all. The same is true of the NFU, NFU-O and Locals. The Tribunal has missed the point that we are all working for the betterment of Ontario farmers at every level,” explains Sutherland.
The farm organization has requested a meeting with Premier Wynne to discuss accreditation status. In the press release, NFU-O says it looks forward to working with all parties to achieve reaccreditation.