SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. — Sask-atchewan cattle producers do not agree on whether to change their position regarding farmland ownership.
One resolution at the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association annual meeting suggested institutional investors and non-Canadian entities should be restricted from buying agricultural land, as originally intended by the Saskatchewan Farm Security Act.
Another recommended the SSGA support the “unrestricted right of all Canadian citizens to own Saskatchewan farmland, including pension plans and institutional investors that are wholly owned by Canadians and supported by private funding from Canadian sources.”
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Both resolutions were defeated.
Some producers argued they should not compete against institutional funds, but others said the SSGA has always supported free enterprise.
The provincial government is asking for input as part of a review of farmland ownership laws, which was announced after the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought 115,000 acres in 2013. There have also been questions about where the money is coming from to finance purchases by Canadian residents, such as those of Chinese descent.
SSGA past-president Calvin Knoss said the organization passed a resolution in 2012 encouraging the province to change the legislation to allow any Canadian citizen to own property in Saskatchewan.
The government made those changes after a series of public hearings by the legislature’s agriculture committee.
Knoss said he believes Canadian citizens should be able to invest in Saskatchewan farmland through companies.
“And I view the investment arm of the pension plan as a wholly owned Canadian company investing on behalf of all of the Canadian citizens,” he said.
However, others said people don’t have to be Canadian citizens to be members of the CPP. Neil Block, who ranches at Abbey, said he has a worker from New Zealand who contributes to the plan.
The legislation states that permanent residents of Canada are not restricted in how much farmland they can buy.
Knoss said the SSGA’s values, listed in its strategic plan, are to uphold the rights of individuals to be involved in the cattle industry “unencumbered by restraints on trade, government investment, monopoly influence or any other forces that distort markets.”
“We need to carry on with this,” he said. “We need to be the organization that offers the other side to this position and represent people, whether it’s popular opinion or not.”
However, Kelcy Elford of Caronport said there is enough competition for agricultural land without pitting producers against their own money held by the CPP.
Pat Hayes of Rockglen said the Nature Conservancy of Canada has received $20 million in federal money to buy land.
“Are we saying that’s OK with this motion?” he said.
In the end, neither resolution passed, and the SSGA position remains that of 2002.
Delegates also passed a resolution to lobby government to no longer give money to the nature conservancy or any other environmental non-government organization to buy farmland.
Agriculture minister Lyle Stewart, in an earlier address to the convention, strongly urged producers to participate in the online consultation underway until Aug. 10.
“It will not only be agricultural producers that will be participating, so your views are very important and every member of your operation that is interested in it should take the time to respond,” he said.
He later told reporters that 1,000 surveys have been completed.
