The Saskatchewan Party questioned premier Lorne Calvert’s political weight last week, after receiving a reply from Ottawa to an all-party request for more farm aid.
The letter acknowledged how much federal and provincial money is being spent on agriculture this year, but did not promise more.
It was signed by Keith Hanash, manager of correspondence in the prime minister’s office.
MLA Don McMorris said a letter from a junior bureaucrat is a slap in the face for farm families and a sign that Calvert doesn’t measure up to the previous premier.
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Roy Romanow has said the measure of a Saskatchewan premier is his ability to secure federal farm support, said McMorris.
“(Calvert) was going to throw his weight behind this letter,” McMorris told reporters. “We really question whether this premier has any clout or pulls any weight at all in Ottawa.”
The letter was sent by speaker Myron Kowalsky, on behalf of the entire legislature, after an all-party resolution was passed in March.
Calvert earlier received a response from prime minister Jean Chrétien to another letter. It didn’t promise more farm aid either.
Provincial government house leader Eldon Lautermilch said the prime minister does not usually respond to letters sent by legislature speakers. He criticized the opposition for not raising agricultural issues more often in the legislature.
