Hutterites Stand with Farmers on Bill 6

My name is Paul Wipf.

I'm one of the Hutterites concerned about Bill 6. Farmers are an essential part of the global family. Yes, we feed the world.

Today we produce enough food for 7 billion people and we are being asked to produce ten times that amount by 2050 for a projected 9.5 billion people. The big question is not whether we will be able to rise to the occasion, but whether we will be allowed to.

Bill 6 has stirred up quite a bit of frustration amongst the agriculture community. Last night I watched the third and final reading where the NDP and the opposition voted unanimously in favor of passing the amendment.

What is it that farmers are asking that is so ridiculously unreasonably that the NDP are adamant in forcing Bill 6 upon the farming community?

We love our children, family and friends more than anyone in this world. Providing a safe and healthy workplace is in everyone’s best interest. Bill 6 is not about safety, it's about labor.

We don't need a labor bill, we know how to work. All we are asking is for policymakers to take a collaborative approach in dialogue and consultation with farmers and other stakeholders to develop a set of rules that are practical in an informed and civil manner… then introduce a Bill.

Hutterites have special interest in how the proposed Bill 6 was introduced. My friends, we did not ask for exemption, we ask for equality in Bill 6. It is not in our best interest to be singled out and it is not fair and just to our fellow farmers. We are united with all Alberta farmers in their plea for justice.

For this reason we are here today standing shoulder to shoulder and supporting all farmers in their plea for this Government to kill Bill 6 and come back with a responsible plan.

Farmers are living proof that there is something deep inside every human being that cannot be taken away by the government; because it is beyond the government’s power…it’s the right to a livelihood and the right of conscience

The right to choose one's livelihood is one of the fundamental rights in a democracy. Please don't let us down.

Thank you.