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Area farmers march on Ottawa TED BROWN Staff Writer They came, they demonstrated and they departed. And they left hoping their message had been heard. Forty-five Halton and Peel farmers boarded buses early Wednesday morning to make the trek to Ottawa, converging on Parliament Hill to join the 10,000-strong throng of protesters made up of farmers who are fed up with political rhetoric and lack of action. The demonstration was part of Canadawide demonstrations to get the message to politicians at both the federal and provincial level that farmers are in dire need of help if they are to compete with U.S. and European markets to produce `safe' food. The theme of the protest was "Farmers Feed Cities" and the bright yellow signs and T-shirts were seen everywhere, as well as the 150 huge farm tractors that blocked Wellington Street in front of the Parliament buildings. As the demonstration started, a sea of farmers from Quebec arrived en masse, joining the existing group, and flooded Parliament Hill as the crowd swelled to fill the area. "The goal here today is further awareness of the situation in agriculture, specifically in the grains and oil seeds sector," said Georgetown farmer Bill Allison as he prepared to take part. "We need support that is equal to our competitors, and we haven't been getting that-- we've been getting programs that don't meet our needs, and political promises about changing them to get a long-term ag policy-- we want to make sure that it's followed through on. See FARMERS, pg. 10 Huttonville-area cereal crop grower Craig Oldham was one of the 45 Halton and Peel farmers who took part in the mass rally of 10,000 Canadian farmers on Parliament Hill Wednesday, as they sent the message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to deliver on his election promises to help Canadian farmers, who are having difficulty competing with their U.S. and European counterparts because of the lack of agricultural programs in place in Canada. Photo by Ted Brown