One to watch

It's anybody's guess as to how much will be accomplished as a result, but the issues facing Canadian agriculture will get a public hearing during the campaign:

Gone are the farm protests on prairie highways and screaming headlines about the mad cow crisis.

Agriculture officials are focusing instead on the urban palate to gain attention in the campaign leading to the Jan. 23 federal election...

A debate on issues facing the industry will be held in downtown Toronto on Jan. 13, featuring Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell and critics from the other parties...

Frustrated that the first two debates by the federal leaders ignored farm and food issues, many agricultural groups have urged their members to flood debate organizers with agriculture questions via e-mail.

Many of the most obvious solutions (particularly international subsidy reductions) are far beyond the reach of the Canadian federal government. And there's always reason to be leery when a party promises a reformed Canadian farm support system given how many such efforts have failed to have any real effect in the past.

But if nothing else, it's a plus to see the importance of agriculture and the plight of Canadian farmers as subjects for discussion and debate during the campaign. We can only hope that at least some of the ideas discussed on the 13th are still remembered once the campaign is over.

Edit: typo.