Legislative Report July 28, 2005

Apparently the NDP government is only willing to support our producers when times are good. This week NDP Agriculture Minister Mark Wartman announced that the government would finally be fully funding the 2004 Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program. While this is a good news announcement, it does raise a number of questions about the government’s commitment to Saskatchewan producers.

The NDP government waited to sign onto the CAIS program until they were completely satisfied. They are now signatories to an agreement that involves a 60/40 cost split and it’s an agreement that should be honoured every year until the agreement is changed. There should be no question about fully funding the CAIS program. But with the NDP government, it is always a question. And that makes their commitment to farmers seem less than honest.

The other part of this announcement that makes one question the NDP government’s commitment to producers and farm families is the fact that this announcement was made because of unexpected revenues from oil prices. So, what that tells me is that the NDP government will only stand by producers when times are good. What happens when oil prices drop? Will we see a simultaneous drop in commitment? Saskatchewan producers deserve a government that provides leadership and competence on issues like this. It’s a shame that the NDP government’s commitment to producers is whimsical at best.

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