Minister offers apology for Bill 6 debacle
Carlier tells agriculture federation government communicated poorly
CALGARY Just weeks after facing a rural revolt over proposed farm safety legislation, Agricultural Minister Oneil Carlier returned to Red Deer Friday to apologize again for his government’s mishandling of Bill 6 and to pledge to “get this right.”
Carlier told about 80 farmers at the annual general meeting of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture (AFA) on Friday that he realizes the legislation triggered “a lot of raw emotion and confusion” about how the new measures would affect the farm sector.
“I apologize for how the intent of the bill was communicated,” he said. “I experienced the hurt and anger of farmers first-hand at the recent open houses and I understand where it came from. People want to ensure that a way of life that they cherish that is part of the foundation of rural Alberta is preserved.”
Carlier was jeered, heckled and booed when he attended a raucous standing-room only consultation session in the central Alberta city last December.
Farmers expressed concerns their kids would no longer be permitted to do chores or participate in 4-H Club activities or would have to be paid minimum wage. They feared friends, neighbours and family would no longer be able to help them out during harvest, seeding or calving seasons.
Premier Rachel Notley accepted full responsibility for the mishandling of the farm safety bill, the lack of consultation and contradictory explanations of how it would impact small farmers.
The NDP government amended the bill to clarify that it only applied to paid farm workers and did not apply to family farms. It also promised to consult extensively this spring on the regulations enforcing the new act.
Alberta was the last province in Canada to remove the exemption of farms from occupational health and safety legislation and the requirement for Workers Compensation Board coverage.
AFA officials attending Friday’s speech said farm members gave Carlier a respectful reception, but lobbed hard questions about the law that was passed before Christmas, despite protests by farmers at the legislature and across the province.
“We’re not happy with the way it was handled and brought forward, but a lot of the changes in Alberta are necessary,” said AFA vice-president Humphrey Banack, who farms near Camrose.
But Banack said he believes a number of farmers will be disappointed with the consultations over the regulations this spring because fewer than 100 people are expected to be invited.
They were told to expect six consultation tables of 10 to 12 stakeholders across the province.
“There are going to be more calls for chairs around these tables,” Banack said. “There will be some cry and hue from different organizations and different factions of agriculture that will believe that they are not being included here.”
AFA President Lynn Jacobson, who farms near Taber, said the federation brought in a guest speaker from Manitoba to explain the ramifications of farm safety legislation.
“Other provinces have had occupational health and safety and workplace rules in place for quite a few years and it hasn’t put them out of business,” he noted.
Jacobson said there is still anxiety among agricultural producers over Bill 6, and while they may not like it, the rage has subsided.
“To out and out reject any changes and to demand everything be retracted and the NDP government resign — like some people were pushing for — that’s not realistic.”
Carlier said in an interview that he thinks farmers have “turned the corner.”
“Most people that I have talked to … are ready now to roll up their sleeves and get to work making this legislation work for Alberta,” he said.