Former Canadian Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz is fighting mad about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s war on farmers..Trudeau put a massive tariff on fertilizer because it contains nitrogen, an ingredient that climate change fanatics claim causes greenhouse gasses..Ritz told the Western Standard the fertilizer ban is only the beginning. .“This is a rush to madness with absolutely no positive gain at the end of it,” he said..Ritz insisted the agriculture sector must tell Trudeau to "Bugger off. This is my livelihood that you’re screwing.”.“When Trudeau starts to walk on the wild side, we know there’s no stopping him. It’s the beginning of the end of sustainable agriculture in this country.”.Ritz says the most immediate consequence of Trudeau’s policy will be the end of agriculture as the third largest contributor to Canada’s GDP. .When asked why Trudeau is so committed to interfering with food production, Ritz said it’s a distraction for the prime minister, another “look over here” bit of political sleight of hand..His whole reign of terror has been disastrous … economy .. look at our foreign relations now … .“He’s a divider, not a builder.”.This is a rural-urban fight. When the grocery stores are empty, he says we’ll just import more. .Ritz was temporarily banned from Twitter. He believes it may have been a result of his appearance on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight and his comment that talking to Agriculture Canada “is like hitting yourself with a hammer.”.Speaking of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s decision to resign on a cold night in February, Ritz joked that Justin Trudeau has done something different. “Rather than take a walk in the snow, he’s gone into fantasy land here and he’s telling farmers that’s he’s going to control their own ability to run their own show.”.The former agriculture minister said the Trudeau won’t stop at effectively banning fertilizer, but will continue with other vital materials farmers need to produce food..“Fertilizers will be the beginning on a landslide of chemicals that farmers use,” he told me. .“This will be the start of a war on pesticides.” He noted farmers cannot even use strychnine to control the gopher population on the Prairies. .Ritz said the irony is that farmers are among the most “environmentally sound” contributors to the Canadian economy and are constantly testing soil to “make the most effective use of that ground.”.But they get “no credit” for their environmental stewardship..I noted other regimes in history have limited food production for the sake of ideology. Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin created an artificial famine in Ukraine while he tried to jump start Russian industrialization. Chinese tyrant Mao Zedong starved the countryside while he attempted to create Chinese industry in the Great Leap Forward. Both experiments resulted in the deaths of millions. .Ritz doesn’t think it will go that far in Canada. .“I don’t think Canadian farmers will let it get to that extent … the farm groups have to start rearing up on their hind legs”.The former Saskatchewan MP acknowledged there are a plethora of agricultural groups in Canada and that they need to fight harder to ensure Canadians are aware of Trudeau’s war on farmers. He said the groups “can’t believe that their story isn’t getting out” through the mainstream media..Ritz noted that Trudeau has also “weaponized” Farm Credit Canada by forcing farmers to check a box agreeing to follow the Liberal government’s environmental policies or risk not getting a loan or having one renewed. .The retired MP suggested the situation is urgent and quipped Canadian farmers would be advised to tell Trudeau how they feel while he vacations. “We all need to fly to Costa Rica and harangue the guy on the beach.”.Ritz did not rule out taking a larger role in the fertilizer fight. He is currently a director of an ag group called Dominion Block Chain that demonstrates how Canadian agriculture is super efficient in its production while being responsible stewards of the environment. .He remembered being a minister under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. .“He gave me a lot of rope at times. Sometimes I hanged myself,” said Ritz..The former ag minister was certainly in the news, but as a farmer himself, he understood how the sector worked. That certainly can’t be said for the current government where “there’s no one in Trudeau’s cabinet or caucus who has a freaking clue” about keeping a farm viable. .That could never be said of Gerry Ritz and Canadian farmers need a guy with his statue and expertise like never before.
