HENSALL, Ont. - Ontario's Liberal premier said Wednesday the province is more interested in striking better financial deals with the federal government on agriculture, health care and immigration than in which party wins next week's election.
"We're giving people a heads' up. They should know that we are coming, and it doesn't matter what the result is on election day," said Dalton McGuinty. "Federal government's may come and federal government's may go, but Ontario's interests are permanent and we will continue to advance those."
McGuinty, who lost his first election as Ontario Liberal leader in 1999 but will seek a third consecutive majority in October, declined to offer any tips to Michael Ignatieff on how to turn around sinking Liberal fortunes before Monday's vote.
"Far be it for me to offer advice," McGuinty told reporters after touring a co-op in this farming community near Lake Huron, billed as the white bean capital of Canada. "The only advice I have is for voters: get out there and exercise that democratic right."
The province recently expanded a pilot project with risk management programs for grains and oilseed producers to other agricultural sectors, including cattle, veal, sheep and hog farmers and made them all permanent. There will also be new self-directed risk management programs for fruit and vegetable farmers.
Ontario shouldn't have to create the programs for farmers without federal participation, said McGuinty, who called Ottawa the "missing ingredient" for a successful risk management strategy.
"I'm a little bit disappointed that we have yet to hear from any of the leaders in this federal election campaign as to whether or not they're prepared to come to the table and participate in a risk management program so it is as whole and as rich as it should be," he said. "We would urge them and encourage them to come to the table."
The province's Progressive Conservatives said farmers have needed help for years but the Liberals waited until the final year of their second term to create the risk management programs.
McGuinty has been raising different issues throughout the federal campaign in hopes of grabbing some attention from the campaigning leaders, but other than a commitment to continue increasing health care funding, his pleas have mostly been ignored.
"We want a full partner for our new risk management programs, we want somebody who's going to treat us fairly when it comes to energy investments, especially clean energy investments," he said. "My responsibility is to place Ontario positions on the table with a view to eliciting, ideally, a commitment during the course of the campaign itself."
The premier warned he'll be knocking on Ottawa's door looking for better financial arrangements regardless of who wins the election.
