Saskatchewan’s farm income coalition stood united last week, emerging from a Jan. 20 meeting to repeat the call for a $1 billion trade equalization payment from Ottawa.
But it didn’t take long for cracks to appear.
Just hours after the meeting ended, several members complained they had been muzzled when they tried to talk about provincial help for farmers and they called for another meeting.
Agriculture minister Dwain Lingenfelter told reporters the coalition unanimously voted to continue pressing Ottawa for money because trade equalization is a federal responsibility. He said that is the coalition’s sole mandate.
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“No one was making the statement that we were going to put money on the table today to lure money from Ottawa,” he said. “That is not the approach of the coalition.”
Ray Bashutsky, speaking on behalf of the United Farm Crisis Group, a new lobby group, which includes the Saskatchewan Rally Group, Pro-West Rally Group and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, said his group supports the coalition’s request but believes its mandate should be broader.
He said when several people tried to raise the issue of provincial help they were cut off.
“I don’t know if I was manipulated – I’m a grown person – but there was an agenda set up that dealt with a specific direction,” Bashutsky said.
“We as producers out here are asking for another meeting to deal with a whole new agenda, which deals with provincial issues.”
He said this doesn’t mean the coalition is splitting, noting that all members did agree to keep the pressure on Ottawa.
The United Farm Crisis Group and the Saskatchewan Party believe the province should use about $300 million from its rainy-day liquor and gaming fund plus $114 million from the Agricultural Income Disaster Assistance allocation to help farmers now.
Other members, including the National Farmers Union and the Saskatchewan Women’s Agricultural Network, say the coalition’s mandate should remain focused on trade equalization payments from Ottawa. They say provincial help should come through education tax relief or enhanced crop insurance.
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool president Leroy Larsen said provincial assistance should be discussed in another forum.
“If (the United Farm Crisis Group) wants to utilize the coalition to pressure the provincial government to do some things, I think you’ll have a number of members of the coalition walking away,” he said.
The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association is one of the original coalition members but did not attend last week’s meeting.
Saskatchewan vice-president Doug Thompson said the group is re-examining its participation.
“We feel that the coalition’s become a political exercise,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ralph Goodale, the province’s only federal cabinet minister, said new money from Ottawa is unlikely until the province ponies up.
Goodale told reporters in Regina that provincial spending on agriculture plummeted by 70 percent through the last decade, yet Ottawa is being asked to spend more.
“I would think that request, all by itself, does not have a great chance of success,” he said.
