Sask. farmers draw up wish list amid federal election campaign: APAS

Farmers across Saskatchewan are hoping the federal election candidates keep them in mind while on the campaign trail.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) has drawn up a list of five election proposals:

1. Reinvest in agricultural risk management
2. Protect producers from trade injury
3. Improve rail infrastructure and performance
4. Fight climate change through recognition and resilience
5. Improve rural quality of life

Todd Lewis, the president of APAS, said — out of all the proposals — there are two topics that stand out the most for farmers: trade and climate change.

Lewis said protecting farmers from trade injury — like the current disputes with China and India — is a big one because producers don’t have any safety net amid trade wars.

“The majority of these problems are not things that farmers have done; it’s political situations far away from the farm gate, so we’d like to see a plan put in place that’s going to recognize that that’s occurring,” he explained.

“As an industry, we’re bearing a lot of the pain here that’s being put upon our country, and we’ve lost literally billions of dollars in trade (exports) over the last number of years because of these sanctions.”

Ideally, Lewis said farmers would like to see a new federally-funded trade injury support program that would compensate farmers for lost export sales due to trade disputes. The program would also offer financial support during trade wars or until Canada’s existing risk management programs are changed to provide coverage for trade-related income drops.

Another key item on APAS’ wish list is to have the next party that forms government axe the carbon tax and replace it with a federal carbon offset program.

“An offset program wouldn’t take money out of farmers pockets and eventually — hopefully — pay farmers for the sequestration of carbon that we’ve done and continue to do,” Lewis explained.

While farm fuel is exempt from the carbon tax, he noted producers are still indirectly paying thousands of dollars through their input suppliers and rail transportation.

“There’s no way farmers can pass that cost along like other industries can because we’re at the bottom of the chain,” Lewis said.

Lewis noted improving cell and internet coverage across rural Saskatchewan is top of mind for farmers during this election campaign as well.

Voters head to the polls Oct. 21.