New Democrats warn drought will send price of food through the roof

OTTAWA – New Democrats warn the price of food is set to soar as farmers in eastern Canada have watched their crops wither and die during one of the worst droughts in recent memory.

NDP MP Malcolm Allen described parts of southern Ontario as a wasteland, where many crops have been damaged too badly to bounce back.

He and his colleague Ruth Ellen Brosseau called on Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz to do more to show drought-stricken farmers that the government is there to help.

But Ritz’s office says the government has several programs to help farmers mitigate and manage the financial impact of weather-related events, such as drought.

A spokesman for Ritz says it’s too early to tell to what degree farmers will be affected by the dry growing conditions, and the Agriculture Department is keeping an eye on the situation.

Farmers in the United States, the world’s largest corn grower and exporter, have seen their crops decimated by the worst drought in decades, sending corn prices soaring to record levels.