Canola tariffs, particularly from China, are stressing out farmers ahead of the growing season. Counselling Alberta and the Calgary Counselling Centre are making its resources available to offer support.
China has placed a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola oil and canola meal, as well as a 25 per cent levy on the country’s seafood and pork.
Marcus Cheung, manager of counselling initiatives at Calgary Counselling Centre sees the importance of the work of farmers in putting food on the table, but notes high rates of depression, anxiety and stress that farmers experience leave them vulnerable to mental health distress.
“Farming is one of the most stressful occupations that we have. Other things that we are looking at is the isolation. Farmers are often working long hours by themselves.”
As counsellors, Cheung says when they work with farmers, the other issue that comes up is the uncertainty that farmers constantly face each year.
“It’s one of the most uncertain occupations because what you do depends on the weather. Your livelihood depends on things that you don’t have control of.”
Cheung says they are providing resources to farmers to help manage depression and anxiety and that has been their focus over the past few years with Counselling Alberta. He admits there are challenges.
“Oftentimes, farmers don’t know the signs of depression, anxiety, and distress. How to get help or even where to find help. Even having the vocabulary to describe how they feel.”
Cheung shares with ag producers that “they are not alone in their work and people across the province appreciate what they do every day.”
Still, when dealing with the uncertainty of something that you can’t control finding that inner peace is a challenge.
“We teach people to focus on the things that they actually have control of. Do one thing at a time – one by one. So, that they can feel like they have control over something.”
Cheung sees this as an important strategy to manage anxiety.
Another avenue of support is networking with various advocacy and provincial farm groups like Alberta Canola.
More support is available online or in person via Counselling Alberta and the Calgary Counselling Centre.
In Lloydminster, mental health resources are available also online and in-person.
