Ontario's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs says opposition claims about a smaller budget for agriculture is wrong.
Jeff Leal says the line budget for 2017-18 is $949 million, an increase of $33 million from 2016-17.
He notes that critics are using numbers from an interim budget of $971 million.
But the extra money in that document was for one time funding due to an emergency situation.
"A majority went to the drought that we had in several regions of Ontario," said Leal. "We don't plan for droughts when we are developing our budget. And also included in there was a special allocation of $3 million for the corn fed beef initiative and recently announced the $19 million for innovation and productivity initiative with the greenhouse sector."
Leal says there will be a payout for production insurance for farmers when the needed arises.
The minister is also encouraging the opposition to stand up for supply management in the dairy sector.
"I think it's so very important to a province like Ontario that has a large section of our agricultural based on supply management that we articulate in very clear terms what our position is to the government of Canada," said Leal.
Leal and Premier Kathleen Wynne recently sent a letter to the Prime Minister urging the government to continue to voice support for supply management. He's encouraging the Progressive Conservatives to do the same.
"When the leading contender for the national Conservative leadership, Maxime Bernier, who aspires to be Prime Minister of Canada, makes a statement that supply management is a 'socialist cartel' he is dead wrong," said Leal. "I would expect at least, that members of the Provincial Conservative caucus who believe in supply management would be sending letters and/or speaking out against that assertion."
