Just a quick word about Vallée-Jonction. CSN executives condemned Olymel’s perceived strong-armed tactics throughout this situation. And all of a sudden, they’re saying that Lucien Bouchard, master negotiator, was too much and represented an outdated way of doing things. Allow me to interject. Negotiations with the CSN have, over the past 15 years, taken place in an atmosphere of ultimatum and strike threats while La Coop fédérée was already on its knees. The powerful union central couldn’t be bothered with polite negotiations around some coffee and donuts. Forceful language is all they understand. It’s a question of culture.

This said, even if the media portrayed a semblance of being opposed to CSN, and vice versa, it nonetheless acted responsibly in this case. Have no doubt! For what was probably the employer/employee negotiation with the widest media coverage in Québec in a long time, things could have turned sour. Damage to Olymel’s brand reputation – either through straight-on attacks or plant sabotage, for example – could have been catastrophic. Thankfully, the professionalism of the Vallée-Jonction workers and the CSN’s common sense prevailed and protected the company’s reputation, its trademark, and ultimately unionized workers as a whole. All things considered, we’re all winners.

Onward and Upward!
Obviously, the Commission sur l’avenir de l’agriculture will be central and leaders of the cooperative movement have taken things seriously. Over the past few weeks, more than 550 people – next generation youth, women, executives and elected officials – have taken an active part in consultations organized by agricultural cooperation.

Four recommendations come to mind of the many that were strongly suggested. Not surprisingly, leaders are asking that we resist taking apart supply management with all of our might. I’ve always said that it’s only when the system is taken apart part by part that we’ll realize how economically and socially efficient it was. So we’ll have to provide some solid support to agricultural unions in this isolated battle that will certainly be very difficult.

In the same breath, cooperators are for the most part counting on setting themselves apart, on developing the value chain, on the relationship of use to get the best market revenues. This includes the cautious development of an agri-energy industry. However, developing cooperative industry within the collective market sets agricultural unions into panic mode. The coop pork saga is a prime example. If cooperators push this recommendation further – and I have no doubt that they will, the stage will be set for feathers to fly.

In fact, our leaders had a few choice words for their governments. Although they feel competitive, foreign farming industries have unjust advantages: larger subsidies, less stringent environmental standards, less convoluted bureaucracy, more understanding and supportive consumers. What about fairness? What’s the government waiting for to correct this imbalance?

And finally, the next generation expressed themselves very clearly on the future of agriculture. “We want cost-effective farms, they decried. And if possible, we want them to maintain a human and family-friendly dimension.”

Now, that’s something new! Unlike their parents, the next generation are no longer unconditional
partisans of the family farm. Corporate, cooperative, integrated, community, organic, no matter, they want a farm model that generates a decent revenue and provides a quality of life that is comparable to that enjoyed by the rest of society.

I was dumbfounded and disappointed when I read this recommendation, especially since I’ve been defending the family farm for such a long time. No more family farms? Hmmm… Am I too romantic to be doing this job?