The Saskatchewan government has no plans to seek compensation for producers affected by the recent trade skirmish over Canadian grain and livestock shipped to the United States.
Agriculture minister Eric Upshall said the emphasis should be on preventing a similar event in the future.
“I think the best compensation, to some degree, is getting tighter regulations or rules on what happens if this happens again,” said Upshall. “There has to be a mechanism so whoever is hurt would be properly compensated.”
The United States and Canada have agreed to talks outside the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization. They want to identify trade irritants between the two countries.
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Until last week, several northern U.S. states had for two weeks forced trucks carrying grain or livestock from Canada to submit to more intense inspections.
Upshall said the U.S. government has a responsibility to ensure its states don’t disrupt trade again. However, he also cited a need for more cross-border communication between producers and governments.
There was no word last week on what the trade disruption might have cost Canadian farmers. Producers in Saskatchewan were invited to contact their government if they were affected by the dispute.
“I think there’s been more harassment than hurt,” Upshall said. “We know there has been monetary loss, but it’s very difficult to put a figure on it.”
