President's Report: April'09
April 30, 2009
With May 1 just around the corner, Saskatchewan’s annual spring ‘mega-project’ will soon be underway! We can only hope that Mother Nature will cooperate by finally releasing the whole province from the relentless grip of winter. In the meantime, APAS Board and staff have been busy researching and advancing effective agriculture policy on your behalf.
The APAS team of RM Representatives, Directors, and staff spent the better part of the winter and spring meeting with RM councils and ratepayers to present and promote the benefits of an APAS membership. The long list of invitations to attend meetings and the positive responses received has been rewarding with the vast majority of councillors and ratepayers indicating that they are pleased with the focus and transparency being displayed throughout the organization. The commitment, dedication and enthusiasm of everyone involved makes me proud to be a part of a winning team.
On the provincial policy front, the prominence that agriculture received in the 2009 provincial budget was encouraging. As I have said in the past, it was a great day for agriculture and rural Saskatchewan. In addition, our enhanced relationship with the Ministry has provided the opportunity to present our policy positions in a clear and direct manner. Most recently, Minister Bjornerud and I met on the last day of March to discuss collaborative efforts on the issues facing the province’s producers.
The EG&S symposium co-hosted by APAS was a tremendous success and has laid the groundwork for the important work to continue. For more details about the Symposium or to view the presentations, I encourage you to read Kevin Hursh’s article elsewhere in our newsletter and to visit the EG&S portion of our website.
General manager Nial Kuyek and I attended the spring meeting of the Prairie Farm Leaders in Winnipeg with representatives from KAP and WRAP. We identified and discussed common issues such as the proposed changes to the Canada Grains Act (Bill C-13) including our concerns over inward weighing and inspection and the bonding requirement of licensed grain companies. We talked at length about the ongoing crisis in the livestock sector and environmental goods and services programs across the west. Following the meeting, Humphrey Bannack, Ian Wishart and I spent the rest of the afternoon doing media interviews on a broad range of agricultural issues. During these interviews and many other communication opportunities, media and listener responses to APAS’ position on a wide variety of issues have been encouraging. The three Prairie Farm Leaders will meet again in late July during the CFA semi-annual meeting and APAS will host the fall meeting in Regina in October.
In later April, I attended the Executive and Board of Directors meetings of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture in Ottawa. During the discussions on trade, it seems there is finally recognition around the world that agricultural trade is key in the world economic crisis. On the changes to Product of Canada Food labeling, at this point, consumers and manufacturers will still be left with a system that poses more questions than answers. We had an opportunity to lunch with Minister Ritz’s staff during which we focused discussions around the lack of initiatives for youth involvement in agriculture. Discussions at CFA also revolved around climate change, which is a rapidly evolving and quickly growing file since President Obama’s visit to Canada. We are confident that Canadian producers’ history of sustainable agricultural practices is a key part of the solution, especially in regards to carbon sequestration and storage. As well, while I was in Ottawa, Rosser Lloyd, Director of Income Stabilization for AAFC, gave an update on Agri Stability, Agri Invest, and Agri Insurance. Continued monitoring and participation into the evolution of these programs remains a high priority for APAS and our national organization, CFA.
And finally, a special thank you to Heather Smith , the new Director General of Policy, Planning and Integration Directorate for Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (AAFC) on for her visit to APAS’ office in April. Vice President Don Connick and Aj Thakker, Communications Consultant especially appreciated the opportunity to meet with the newly appointed Director General and to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern. Thank you also to Dean Vey, Regional Director, Market & Industry Services Branch (Saskatchewan), Debra Boyd-Chisholm, Senior Analyst, Intergovernmental Affairs, Strategic Policy Branch, and Brenda Patton, Senior Marketing & Trade Officer, Market & Industry Services (Saskatchewan) for their active and enthusiastic participation in the meeting. APAS looks forward to continuing the dialogue and will be forwarding an invitation to Ms Smith and the AAFC staff in Saskatchewan to join us in Saskatoon in June for the 2009 midterm meeting.
To all of APAS rural friends and supporters, please exercise caution during this spring seeding season and take extra care to protect those that you love. I look forward to seeing you all in June at the Midterm meeting and to renewing friendships both old and new.
Greg Marshall