Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow has issued sharp criticism of how the federal agriculture minister conducted his visit to flooded areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“Not meeting with the duly, lawfully elected representatives of our two provinces is an inexplicable breech of protocol and an insult to Saskatchewan,” said Romanow at a news conference in Saskatoon Friday, hours before Vanclief’s scheduled flyover.
“He’ll meet with a defeated Liberal MLA but not with an elected NDP MLA. This is no time for partisan politics. Surely to God we can bury our political differences long enough to help our farmers get through this.”
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Federal minister Lyle Vanclief flew over water-logged areas of southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan June 11, with short stops in the towns of Carlyle, Sask., and Souris, Man.
In Saskatchewan, Vanclief met with Liberal candidates from the area, plus former and current Liberal MLAs and party supporters. Behind closed doors he met with a group of 10 farmers and representatives of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities.
He also spoke briefly with farmers who gathered to find out if the minister would announce additional financial assistance for producers unable to seed a crop this year. He did not.
Vanclief said his aim was to meet with grassroots farmers on this trip.
“Mr. Upshall (Saskatchewan agriculture minister Eric) asked if he could join the meeting of the farmers and myself. I was already hearing that I should have met with farmers sooner and when I did, that is what I wanted to do. Meet with farmers. Just farmers. I can talk to or meet agriculture ministers anytime.”
At the news conference, Romanow also attacked a statement Vanclief made in Ottawa earlier in the week about Saskatchewan’s role in farm support.
The federal minister said on CBC radio: “When Saskatchewan was having some very, very good years on grain prices I don’t think they, if I think back, I don’t think Saskatchewan said ‘we are having a very good two or three years in a row and I think we are going to share that with the rest of the country.’ “
Romanow said Saskatchewan residents made their contributions to the federal government through income tax during the more profitable early part of the decade.
In an interview last week, Vanclief said: “Now, the premier wants us to provide $25 an acre for crop insurance over and above what we already pay. I didn’t hear him say anything about more money from the province (during better times).”
The federal minister said his Saskatchewan counterpart keeps changing his mind about which programs will benefit farmers most. He said Upshall wanted an aid program last fall and that the Net Income Stabilization Account was not the appropriate vehicle for support and “now he wants it (NISA) to be topped up.
“Now they (provincial politicians) want the AIDA (Agricultural Income Disaster Assistance) scrapped. The program they wanted last fall,” said Vanclief.
“I know this is very challenging and frustrating for all of us,” said the federal minister. “AIDA is not the answer. The answer is a crop seeded at the right time, a good harvest and good prices. That is the only true answer.”
University of Saskatchewan political scientist David Smith said the battle between the governments can be at least partially traced to the federal treasury surplus, while the provinces are poorer.
“They (the federal government) don’t want to set a precedent while the provinces don’t have the money. In the end something may happen, but it will take time to sort out,” said Smith.
Meanwhile, Manitoba premier Gary Filmon and Romanow have jointly asked Ottawa for a per-acre payout to farmers who were forced to leave acres unseeded because of rain.
In Manitoba, producers do not qualify for unseeded acreage coverage when they buy crop insurance, as they do in Saskatchewan, so there are some differences in the
request.
In Saskatchewan, every producer who buys into crop insurance receives $25 per unseeded acre.
Romanow has requested an additional $25 from the federal government.
“Manitoba wants $50 for each unplanted acre,” said Romanow.
In a news conference held in Winnipeg, Filmon said an advance on the 1999 Agricultural Income Disaster Assistance program would also help.
Romanow said it may cause overpayment problems and would likely mean that no changes could be made to the AIDA package for 1999. But Romanow added that if an advance is paid to Manitoba farmers, Saskatchewan would probably go along so its farmers would be on equal footing.
Vanclief said he is considering the request.
