Saskatchewan will pay its full 40 percent share of the national farm aid package, premier Roy Romanow announced last week.
The decision will cost about $140 million over two years and means Saskatchewan farmers will receive about $350 million in total.
This leaves Manitoba as the only province yet to sign on, although a government official said Feb. 15 he expects a decision soon.
Romanow announced the decision after a Feb. 9 cabinet meeting, saying the province is reluctantly participating and wants something in return.
“As a start, the federal farm aid program had better be good,” Romanow warned.
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He wants Ottawa to fix the rural road and rail systems, address spiralling farm input costs and work to end international trade subsidies.
“We have now done what Ottawa has demanded that we do,” Romanow said. “I challenge Ottawa to now begin to live up to its responsibilities to rural Saskatchewan.”
National Farmers Union spokesperson Stewart Wells said it was clear the province would have to sign on to an “inadequate” program because it had been backed into a corner by opposition parties.
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool vice-president Marvin Shauf said Saskatchewan’s participation is important, but noted the income situation is likely to get worse.
“We need to make sure we maintain the idea of this being an ongoing and long-going program,” he said.
Western Canadian Wheat Growers president Kevin Archibald said the announcement should give farmers some comfort, but there are still no program details.
“We need some confidence that both levels of government are going to work together for the benefit of farmers,” he said.
Opposition parties said the decision should have been made months ago.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba both argued 40 percent was too rich for them because they have large agricultural bases and small tax bases. They tried to negotiate a smaller percentage, but Ottawa was adamant.
“When you have the choices limited to basically one, that is get on the bus, or get off the bus, we had to make a decision on behalf of Saskatchewan farmers,” said agriculture minister Eric Upshall.
Lorne Martin, manager of policy analysis with Manitoba Agriculture, agreed the options are few.
“We’ve been trying to obviously get whatever we can but it’s pretty much an either or,” he said. “I would think that our government would like to see (a decision) before they go to Victoria.”
The federal and provincial agriculture ministers meet in that city Feb. 23 and 24 to discuss long-term safety nets.
Meanwhile, Wild Rose Agricultural Producers are disappointed the estimated $122 million Alberta will receive from Ottawa will simply go into the province’s general revenue fund.
President Alan Holt said producers were told at meetings the money won’t be earmarked for agriculture unless they can find innovative ways of using it.
Because Alberta farmers already receive assistance through the Farm Income Disaster Program, the government said they won’t be paid twice.
