Provincial politicians push for action to help farmers with grain-drying costs

SASKATOON Federal and provincial politicians are keeping pressure on the newly re-elected Liberals to help Saskatchewan farmers struggling with high grain-drying costs — the result of a disappointing and extremely wet harvest.

While the Liberals have yet to make specific commitments, there appears to be a general agreement that Ottawa should intervene on behalf of farmers, some of them with grain-drying bills running into the thousands of dollars.

In a letter sent last week to the leaders of all six federal parties, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili reiterated his call for the government to rebate farmers this year the cost of the backstop carbon price on natural gas.

Although he refused to sign on to Meili’s original request, preferring to push for his “new deal for Canada” agenda, Premier Scott Moe subsequently raised the issue in a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Speaking to reporters after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in Regina last week, Moe said there was a “very specific discussion” about the idea of a rebate, but that he has not given up hope of the entire carbon tax being paused.

“Something like that absolutely could be applicable,” Alistair Macgregor, the federal NDP’S agriculture critic, said of the proposed carbon tax rebate for grain-drying costs, the total cost of which remains unknown.

At the same time, Macgregor said, the federal government has other programs that can be used to help farmers at times when input costs beyond the natural gas used to fire grain dryers are higher than in a typical year.

The federal NDP has indicated it would prefer one of the other options on the table to a rebate or exemption.

“Where I want to be on the same side with (Meili) is that we are both acknowledging that in this particular case, the federal government has to step in and provide some assistance, and acknowledging the troubles Saskatchewan farmers are currently (facing),” he said.

The federal NDP are expected to play a role when Canada’s 43rd Parliament begins on Thursday. With a plurality but not a majority of seats, the Liberals need votes from one or more other parties — likely the NDP and Bloc Quebecois.

Asked where the situation ranks on the party’s wish list, Macgregor pointed to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh identifying as priorities pharmacare and the dropping of a court challenge over payment for Indigenous children in foster care. At the same time, Macgregor said, he hopes to ensure it is a “very high priority item” on the agenda of Marie-claude Bibeau, whom Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently reappointed as the federal agriculture minister.

An interview request for Bibeau was declined. In a statement, she acknowledged the “very hard and wet harvest” and that Moe raised the issue when he travelled to Ottawa to meet with Trudeau.

Meili, meanwhile, raised a related issue in his letter: A request to increase payouts under Agristability, a program designed to provide financial aid for farmers who suffer unexpected losses.

The program, which is federally funded and administered by the province, pays 70 cents on the dollar for farmers who fall 30 per cent below the reference margin. Meili wants that upped to 85 cents.

Those pitches are two of six “constructive” requests outlined in the letter. Meili also asked for natural resource revenue to be removed from the equalization formula, a national pharmacare program, a “rigorous and transparent pipeline approval process” and a national suicide prevention strategy.