Ottawa has declined the provinces’ request for more farm aid.
In a letter from prime minister Jean Chretien to Saskatchewan premier Lorne Calvert that was copied to all premiers, the federal government said it is contributing enough to agriculture programs.
Saskatchewan agriculture minister and deputy premier Clay Serby would not release the letter to reporters or the opposition last week.
He said the correspondence is private and it would be up to the prime minister’s office to make it public.
When asked if the language used in the letter was strong, he said, “Strong enough.
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“The letter implies that the amount of investment that the federal government has made already in agriculture is all that they’re going to be making, in my view, during this period,” Serby said.
The opposition Saskatchewan Party had earlier criticized the government for sending a “strongly worded letter” to lobby Ottawa rather than a delegation of all 58 MLAs.
Agriculture critic Bill Boyd said the letter and premier Calvert both failed.
“(Former premier Roy Romanow) always said that the measure of a premier was the amount of money he was able to get out of Ottawa when there was a need and by that standard, clearly Mr. Calvert has failed,” Boyd said.
The Saskatchewan legislature passed a resolution last month calling for an additional $500 million in federal farm assistance.
The resolution, which has since been passed by other provinces, was forwarded to Ottawa.
Serby said the federal government’s response to the resolution will be tabled and made public when it is sent to the speaker of the Saskatchewan legislature.
In his letter to Calvert, Chretien said the federal government is already spending $2.6 billion on agriculture.
“The federal government has clearly said, in my view, that there is no more money,” Serby said.
“There doesn’t appear to even be any room for debate or discussion around that issue.”
Serby said he was disappointed there wasn’t a commitment to at least look at the request.
However, the letter also included a renewed commitment to review safety nets.
Provincial agriculture ministers will be reviewing the letter in detail, Serby added, and discussing the safety net review at their June meeting in Whitehorse.
