Gophers, (yes those furry pests), demonstrate to me what is wrong with the way politics and government is run in this country. How, you may ask? Let me explain.

For nine years, Leon Benoit (a Conservative MP from Alberta) has been trying to get the government to change the regulations for gopher poison. All he wants to do is have the government make a 2 per cent solution of strychnine directly available to farmers, so that the poison for killing gophers is effective and actually works. (Current mixtures are not as effective).

No big deal, right? Farmers are losing up to $200 million/year to gophers, so let’s figure out a way to deal with the little pests.

Not so simple. MPs from Toronto say not to worry, and one Bloc Quebecois MP even referred to the use of strychnine in Agatha Christie mystery novels as a reason not to change the regulations.

Now, I don’t have a problem with debating an issue, but why MPs from Toronto and Quebec should decide on how to deal with gophers on the Prairies is beyond me. Issues that effect local people should be decided by local people and should not be imposed from far away. We in Saskatchewan are responsible people; we should not have politicians from other regions of the country telling us how to farm.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament, and I welcome your feedback. Write or call my offices.