A government critic said most goals for Saskatchewan’s agricultural future in the NDP’s new economic action plan are lofty and unattainable.
“They talk about it. I don’t think they’re prepared to do the things that need to be done,” said Lyle Stewart, deputy agriculture critic with the Saskatchewan Party.
Premier Lorne Calvert unveiled the plan two weeks ago. It consists of 81 actions to improve the province’s economy, including six agricultural strategies.
Calvert said agriculture carried the province through its first century and will again, but in a modern way.
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He said value-added and innovative techniques would be key to the province’s successful future.
“Our farmers, our farm families, our producers, have led innovation. They’ve led this country and the world,” Calvert said. “Agriculture has diversified and innovated perhaps more than any other industry.”
Several actions focus on developing alternative markets. Eric Cline, minister of industry and resources, said this would focus on diversifying and expanding livestock, organic and pulse industries.
“I mean, for one example, instead of having Styrofoam cups, at some point it would be nice if we could have cups that would be made of flax or other materials … wheat, straw and so on,” Cline said.
Stewart said the government’s first action should be changing fundamental infrastructure.
“They keep prescribing the same approach. That is government intervention, high taxes and overregulation. It drives people, jobs and opportunities away. It doesn’t attract anything,” said Stewart.
The Sask Party critic added that corporate capital taxes and property taxes need to be reduced and eventually eliminated to attract potential investors.
Cline said agriculture’s success would be achieved through continuing support of research facilities at universities in Saskatoon and Regina.
“We have in Saskatchewan some of the leading expertise in terms of agriculture biotechnology,” Cline said. “We already are No. 1 in most of these areas that generally could be described as agriculture biotechnology. That’s why we really have the tools to pursue this kind of development.”
Calvert said putting farmers on an even playing field with the rest of the world is another aspect of the agricultural plan.
“We’ve been fighting for that for years,” the premier said. “There has been some marginal progress, but not near the progress that needs to be made to achieve (an even playing field).”
He said actions include continuous pressure on the federal government for help, and work with international players to make farmers more competitive.
Calvert added: “This year in Saskatchewan we will support the farmers of Saskatchewan, the producing families of Saskatchewan on the land, somewhere in the neighbourhood of $600 million.
That is considerably higher per capita funding than any other jurisdiction in Canada.”
But Stewart countered, “it’s probably too little and I know it’s way too late. There really are no specific, very specific plans in the action plan.”
The plan also includes revisions to the cost-sharing formula for agricultural programs and restoring full market access to the United States for cattle, beef and wheat.
