The most recent session of the Saskatchewan legislature was a relaxing time for agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud, not counting the days he was rushing home to bail water.
Bjornerud said he was stumped by the lack of agricultural questions that the opposition NDP asked during the session.
“On our worst day in opposition, I think we could have found questions,” he said May 19, the last day of the final session before the November election.
He then headed home to pump more water out of his flooded yard east of Yorkton. He bought nine pumps this spring in an effort to keep his basement dry.
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Flooding is definitely on the top of his mind, and he said he doesn’t know why the opposition didn’t ask more about that topic.
“They’re almost back to that lack of concern for agriculture and rural Saskatchewan they had when they were in government,” Bjornerud said.
But Dwain Lingenfelter, leader of the NDP and agriculture critic, said he has asked questions. He raised the issue of increased crop insurance premiums and asked the government to waive them for farmers who couldn’t seed last year. He also raised reinstating spot loss hail.
“We just think that’s something that going forward is important to renegotiate with the federal government,” he said.
He said he tried to raise the Canadian Wheat Board’s future during discussion of budget estimates for the agriculture ministry, but was shut down.
“Changes to the Canadian Wheat Board should be approved by the farmers affected and it shouldn’t be a political decision by an NDP or a Conservative government,” Lingenfelter said.
In terms of flooding, he said the opposition needs to wait and see how much crop is seeded.
“I think that’s just a big unknown at this point in time and we want to wait and see how much does get seeded and not jump to the conclusion that we’re going to have another disaster,” he said.
Seeding is progressing well in some areas, but farmers in the southeast are going to be under pressure to plant their crops before the growing season becomes too short.
Lingenfelter said he will call for a major payment if a disaster develops.
He said Ottawa and the province don’t communicate enough and assistance comes too late as a result.
Farmers who couldn’t seed last year were able to pay their bills if they had crop in the bins, but that solution won’t be available this year.
“This year that grain is all gone and they’re really operating on fumes in most cases,” he said.
Bjornerud said he gets the sense more seeding is occurring this year, but farmers need drier weather if they hope to harvest those crops in the fall.
The last day of the session marked the end of seven political careers: Saskatchewan Party MLAs Joceline Schriemer of Saskatoon Sutherland, Mike Chisholm of Cut Knife-Turtleford, Rod Gantefoer of Melfort and Denis Allchurch from Rosthern- Shellbrook and NDP MLAs Pat Atkinson of Saskatoon Nutana, Ron Harper of Regina Northeast and Kim Trew of Regina Coronation Park.
Trew and Atkinson are the longest serving of the group. They were first elected in 1986.
