REGINA – With much fanfare, Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow announced his government wanted to build a “vehicle” of protest to force the federal government to “revisit” its decision to end the Crow Benefit with a one-time payout of $1.6 billion.
But two weeks after the federal budget, Romanow’s crusade cries have been unable to rally the masses.
There has been little organized opposition to the end of the rail transportation subsidy. Romanow and rural and farm leaders from the province have visited Ottawa since the federal budget was delivered, but have announced few achievements.
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federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
Soon after Romanow announced he and a united front of farm groups would force the government to back away from its Crow buyout, he had a private meeting with prime minister Jean ChrŽtien in Ottawa. Romanow has been unwilling to talk to reporters about what happened.
Finance minister Janice Mac-Kinnon condem-ned the Crow buyout in a meeting with federal finance minister Paul Martin when he visited Regina last week, but she was a lone voice in a night full of praise from a business group.
And deputy premier Ed Tchorzewski said Saskatchewan wants the federal government to clarify the policy so farmers know where they stand. He said he didn’t like the federal government’s action, but there was little Saskatchewan could do about it.
