Premier upset to hear federal agriculture minister flying over Sask.
REGINA Canada’s new agriculture minister has bypassed Saskatchewan on her first western excursion since assuming the post, flying over an unhappy premier who has canola on his mind.
Scott Moe expressed his dismay about Marie-claude Bibeau’s travel plans in a tweet Monday evening, and repeated it again when asked for comment on Tuesday.
“You plan your first Western Canadian swing to visit British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba? That’s a problem,” the premier told the Leader-post, stressing that Saskatchewan is at the forefront of Canadian agriculture.
“When you are going for an engagement tour with respect to the industry of agriculture as our federal agriculture minister, that tour should include stopping and engaging with Saskatchewan producers,” Moe added. “That hasn’t happened and that’s disappointing.”
But Bibeau’s office said her itinerary wasn’t meant as a snub to Saskatchewan.
Katie Hawkins, the minister’s communications director, said the Western Canadian visit was actually planned for former agriculture minister Lawrence Macauley. She rejected the term “tour” for this week’s trip, which began in Vernon, B.C., on Monday.
Bibeau took off from Calgary for Winnipeg, Man., on Tuesday afternoon.
Macauley had been in Saskatchewan for Cropsphere in January, and did not plan to return this time around.
Hawkins said Bibeau decided to keep the same schedule after taking over the portfolio in a cabinet shuffle prompted by Jody Wilson-raybould’s recent resignation.
She said Bibeau is eager to visit Saskatchewan, which Hawkins called “a powerhouse of Canadian agriculture.”
Another trip is being planned, according to Hawkins, with details to follow shortly.
Moe invited Bibeau to visit Saskatchewan “as soon as possible,” but said Hawkins’s explanation doesn’t change his feelings on the matter.
He said he chose to call her out publicly because he didn’t even know about the trip plans until they were announced.
He said Bibeau could have raised them in a conversation she had with Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit, who spoke with her about canola last week.
Canola is high on the agenda for both agriculture ministers, after China blocked shipments from Richardson Canola Ltd. The country is Saskatchewan’s biggest canola market. A Chinese official blamed the decision on concerns about “harmful organisms,” a claim Canada views as dubious.
Marit told reporters last week that the embargo is significant to the provincial economy. He immediately called Bibeau, who informed him that she was making the matter a “priority.”
“She’s putting it first and foremost,” Marit explained.
Moe suggested that an on-theground visit this week would have been an opportunity to air Saskatchewan’s concerns on the file.
He said he would have used a meeting to “bring her up to speed” on the province’s position and how it’s affecting farmers.
“We need our federal agricultural minister, our minister of foreign affairs and our minister of trade to engage aggressively with China to ensure that we can preserve that market access,” Moe said.
But Bibeau’s office said Trade Minister Jim Carr will be visiting Saskatchewan this week for the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) annual conference, where he will be able to broach canola concerns.
Hawkins also stressed that Bibeau has been “focused” on canola during her first week on the job.
“We are in regular contact with industry stakeholders regarding this matter, and we will keep them informed as additional information becomes available,” Hawkins said.
Asked why he decided to challenge Bibeau publicly instead of raising the matter in private, Moe was unapologetic.
“We call them as we see them,” he said.
We are in regular contact with industry stakeholders regarding this matter, and we will keep them informed as additional information becomes available.