SARM calls on federal government to step up on tariffs, grain backlog
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hadn’t yet landed in Regina on Wednesday, but he was already facing criticism from rural Saskatchewan politicians.
Ray Orb, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, told delegates to the organization’s annual convention that farmers are still awaiting results from the federal government on tariffs. Late last year, India slapped sky-high tariffs on pulses like lentils and chickpeas.
Trudeau said he would address the issue with his counterpart, Narendra Modi, during a February visit to India. The two leaders released a joint statement saying they would work together toward an agreement this year on fumigation exemptions for Canadian pulses.
But Orb said farmers were left wanting.
“We were not satisfied with the results of the prime minister’s trip,” he said. “We will continue to voice our concerns until we see action.”
He said that the prime minister should have brought Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay along with him for the meeting with Modi.
“It’s really hurt our farmers,” he said. “That’s why we asked Minister MacAulay, please go ... We saw that the issue was discussed but not really addressed.”
Trudeau remained in Regina on Wednesday afternoon to meet with Mayor Michael Fougere and steel industry leaders. Orb said he was upset that the prime minister could not find time to visit the convention, noting that he’s still hopeful Trudeau will find a way to squeeze SARM into his trip.
“I’m personally a little bit disappointed,” he said. “We asked him as well, ‘Could you try to making it to our conference?’ But we were told that his schedule was very busy.”
Orb said he would raise the tariff issue if the prime minister did swing by, and that he would have more to say about federal efforts on agriculture. During his address, Orb added that farmers are also awaiting action on a major grain backlog that’s leaving their crops stuck on the Prairies.
“We continue to advocate to the federal government that the slow movement of grain on the Prairies is partially linked to the stalling of passage of Bill C-49,” he told the delegates.
The legislation would facilitate reciprocal penalties against rail carriers. As of early March, Canadian National was only filling about 36 per cent of hopper car orders from farmers. But the bill has been bogged down in the Senate.
Orb said he has written to the Senate recently to ask them to fast-track the bill. He added that Trudeau and his ministers could also do more to press the issue.
“We would appreciate the fact that the prime minister, perhaps, would pay more attention to it and be more vocal about it,” said Orb.
Delegates to the convention said that their farmers are affected by the issues Orb raised. Murray Reid, reeve of the RM of Rocanville, said the tariffs and the rail delays are “a major frickin’ irritant” for his constituents.
“You can’t put that kind of cash out and expect to sit on it,” he said.
Reid was unaware of Trudeau’s visit to Regina. But he noted that the convention would not be the warmest audience for the prime minister.
“It’s a Sask. Party crowd here, a Conservative crowd,” he stressed.
Orb’s address also broached the federal carbon tax and raised the issue of rural crime, calling on municipalities to work closely with the RCMP.
“Rural crime is a real concern,” he said. “We continue to work with the RCMP and the province to create safer communities.”
The SARM convention will continue until Friday.
We were not satisfied with the results of the prime minister’s trip. We will continue to voice our concerns until we see action.