Saskatchewan voters looking through election platforms for new and innovative agricultural policy likely will be disappointed.
The New Democrats and Saskatchewan Party haven’t gone too far beyond promising to continue existing funding or tinker with current programs.
If returned to office, the NDP has pledged to maintain its relief of education tax on property and provide low-interest loans for farmers, businesses and homeowners who develop energy efficient products and systems.
Otherwise, the party’s platform document highlights its record while in government: fully funding the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program; defending the Canadian Wheat Board; and developing a plan that would see 10 percent of the province’s farmers involved in organic production by 2015.
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A Saskatchewan Party government would double the education tax relief on farmland; fully fund CAIS while pressing Ottawa to pay more for farm stabilization and disaster; and review the crop insurance program to find ways to increase coverage and reduce producer premiums.
Leader Brad Wall said Saskatchewan crop insurance participants should have “at least as good a deal as Manitoba farmers do,” referring to the neighbouring province’s higher coverage and lower premiums.
The Liberal party isn’t expected to gain much ground among farmer voters but last week leader David Karwacki proposed a made-in-Saskatchewan solution to federal-provincial programs.
Noting that programs like CAIS aren’t sensitive to the needs of Saskatchewan producers, Karwacki said the province should take over.
“Let’s take the money from Ottawa and create our own companion programs within CAIS,” he said Oct. 26 after launching his full platform.
He said a four-year Risk Management Pilot Program would provide bankable support because it would include a floor price for grain.
This would make value-added industries and livestock production more competitive, he said.
Karwacki added that people like the idea.
“Many are concerned that if we opt out of the federal program somehow we’re missing something,” he said. “We’re not getting it anyway.”
Saskatchewan’s Progressive Conservative party under leader Rick Swenson, a former MLA who farms south of Moose Jaw, chose to make agriculture policy its first announcement.
The party promotes community-based ethanol and biodiesel production along with intensive livestock operations.
It would match dollars with private sector developers, cities and Ottawa to bring an inland container port to Saskatchewan.
A PC government would work to change the 60-40 federal-provincial funding formula for disaster assistance.
And, it would commit $10 million per year over current funding levels to develop water resources.
The Green Party of Saskatchewan favours ecological agriculture, food security and marketing boards. Its policy was developed over the past few years through resolutions passed at annual meetings. Among those resolutions are one to ban the terminator gene and another to support the National Farmers Union campaign to retain farmers’ rights to save, reuse and sell their own seeds.
The Western Independence Party offers just one agricultural plank. It would remove education tax from all farmland except the home quarter.
The Saskatchewan Marijuana Party doesn’t have an agricultural policy.
