Saskatchewan will likely introduce legislation this fall to tighten up the province’s farmland ownership laws, agriculture minister Lyle Stewart said Oct. 7.
The results of an online survey conducted in summer found that most respondents, 62 percent of them farmers, opposed allowing investors such as Canadian pension funds to own land.
“People were pretty clear about what they think,” Stewart told reporters.
“While this isn’t a referendum, I’ve said that the government will be guided in our policies by what this survey showed, and I think the results are fairly clear.”
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Three-quarters of the more than 3,200 people who responded to the survey said they were opposed to pension funds owning land. Eighty-seven percent didn’t support foreign ownership of farmland, and 69 percent did not support foreign financing.
As well, 85 percent said the Farm Land Security Board should have a stronger role in enforcing compliance of the Farm Security Act.
Ninety-five percent of the respondents were Saskatchewan residents.
The ministry also met with 27 organizations and accepted three more written submissions. Stewart said the responses were similar to the online survey, although investors and realtors wanted restrictions lifted.
Stewart said he wasn’t surprised by the survey results because he knew there was concern based on correspondence to his office and conversations with people.
That concern stemmed from persistent rumours of Chinese investment in farmland and from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s purchase of the former Assiniboia Farmland’s 115,000 acres.
The Canadian pension plan purchase was allowed after the province’s justice ministry approved it, but it led to much controversy after some suggested sales like that would push the price of farmland out of the reach of young or beginning farmers.
Others argued that those who are retiring from farming should be able to get the best possible price.
Asked how tightening up ownership rules fits with the Saskatchewan Party’s free enterprise position, Stewart said many provinces and states have restrictions on farmland ownership.
“Farmland is a strategic resource, probably, I would say from my perspective as a farmer and minister of agriculture, certainly our most strategic resource in this province,” he said.
The fall sitting of the legislature was set to resume Oct. 13, and Stewart said it’s possible legislation and regulations could be introduced and passed this fall in advance of the April 4 provincial election.
“We’re willing to be, if not exactly governed by the results of the survey, we’re certainly willing to be strongly influenced by it, and I hope that we’ll be able to introduce legislation fairly soon that will reflect that,” he said.
The Farm Security Act was last changed in 2002 under the then NDP government. Public hearings held by the standing agriculture committee led to more access to land for Canadian citizens and corporations but maintained restrictions on foreign ownership.
NDP agriculture critic Cathy Sproule said the opposition would have to see the new legislation and regulations this fall before committing to supporting it, but generally it supports the idea of closing the loophole that allowed the pension plan purchase.
Sproule also said there must be better disclosure of where the money for purchases is coming from to stop foreign money from being used.
The complete results of the online survey are available at www.saskatchewan.ca/farmland with identifying information removed.
