SaskCanola Meets with Shadow Cabinet

On Friday November 26, 2021, at Agribition in Regina, SaskCanola met with three members of the Conservative Shadow Cabinet to discuss a number of policy issues affecting farmers.

Participants in the discussion were Lane Stockbrugger (SaskCanola Vice Chair), Dean Roberts (SaskCanola and CCGA Director), Dale Leftwich (SaskCanola Policy Manager), John Barlow, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Agri-Food and Food Security, Lianne Rood, Shadow Minister for Rural Economic Development and Rural Broadband Strategy, and Warren Steinley, Shadow Minister for Prairie Economic Development and Interprovincial Trade.

Issues that were discussed at length included:

• The devastating impact of the drought on Saskatchewan farmers,

• The need to resume open canola trade with China and use all levers available, including the World Trade Organization,

• Regarding the 30% emissions target, all policies must be science-based, and have thorough consultation with all consequences considered.

In addition, SaskCanola emphasized the importance of biofuels and the necessity of getting the underlying regulation correct so that farmers and the agriculture industry benefit from this growth opportunity. Business Risk Management Programs, infrastructure and the carbon tax were also discussed.

Finally, a common theme throughout the conversation was that as new programs are developed for the purposes of public good and health of the environment, they should not reduce investment in agriculture innovation, business risk management programs, or infrastructure. Agriculture and food production is pivotal to the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of our country.

If you have a question or comment about the policy work that SaskCanola does on behalf of farmers, we encourage you to contact the office at (306) 976-0262 or email at info@saskcanola.com.