Lukaszuk is several weeks into a campaign to counteract the Alberta Next Panel overtures and an Alberta separation referendum question that is currently tied up in the courts over its constitutionality.

“This government has been almost singularly focusing only on oil and gas, where agriculture is rarely ever mentioned. I’ve been in this government in Alberta for almost 15 years, and held value at various portfolios, and agriculture and oil were always equals to us as the two leading industries, followed shortly thereafter by tourism,” said Lukaszuk.

“Our agricultural economy in this province is based on export. Very little food do we actually upgrade and refine in this province. Things either go to the States or they go to other countries. We have phenomenal markets and a great reputation, but a lot of this is tied to the fact that it is Canadian, and all those trade agreements are signed by Canada, and all the inspections and everything are done by Canada. Now you form this new entity, you’re starting from scratch. I am really miffed when everybody only talks about pipelines, and that is important. But what about all the other products, the agricultural products?”

Lukaszuk said there has been little discussion about what Alberta separation would mean to the agricultural sector.

How would Alberta farmers export their goods to foreign countries without access to ports?

Would a sovereign but landlocked Alberta’s international bargaining capacity be compromised if it no longer had the clout that Canada brings? What of mobility of agricultural labour and other trades with internationally recognized certification?

“This is a country of 40 million people, and we are a G7 country. They take us seriously and we to a certain extent get to dictate some of the terms,” Lukaszuk said.

“Now, Alberta, a country of four million, never mind G7, it will be lucky to be G40. How are we going to renegotiate all those terms for export of agricultural products and imports of some input products that we need? Who’s going to establish the 150 some embassies that Canada has across the world that have commercial offices, that promote Canadian products across the world?…

“Our beef, pork and poultry producers, all of their products are inspected by federal agencies which are accredited, accredited internationally and recognized. If a product is inspected by a federal government, all other countries honour that inspection. What if they don’t honour Alberta inspection? Are these things being thought about?”

Lukaszuk, an immigrant who fled communism in Poland when he was 12 years old, served in Alberta politics from 2000-15, serving under premiers Ralph Klein, Ed Stelmach, Alison Redford, Dave Hancock and Jim Prentice.

He acknowledges there is a certain irony in a city slicker former politician like himself fighting for agriculture, but his steering committee includes Stelmach, who has strong rural roots as a farmer.

Lukaszuk said Alberta Forever Canada’s steering committee is non-partisan politically, comprising right-of-centre influences such as Ian McClelland, who helped build the foundations of the Reform Party, all the way through former provincial Progressive Conservatives and former Stephen Harper cabinet minister Brent Rathgeber, who is helping manage the campaign. It also includes Anne McLellan, a former Liberal deputy prime minister and former NDP influences Brian Mason and Gil McGowan.

“This is not a partisan thing. This is common sense. They may have different political views, but they as sure as hell don’t want to separate from Canada. They understand how devastating this would be to our economy,” said Lukaszuk.

He said history shows how even whispers of separation have had crippling affects on an economy.

Bank of Montreal moved its headquarters to Toronto during the uncertainty over Quebec separation.

The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union in 2020 has resulted in non-tariff barriers, with some studies showing reduced U.K. goods exports and smaller firms struggling with the increased bureaucracy.

Investment in the Spanish regions of Catalonia and Basque often stalls because of talk of separation.

“Business wants a couple of things. They want a good return on investment and they want stability. But they will even take a little smaller return on investment if the stability is guaranteed. Nobody wants to invest into an unstable market,” said Lukaszuk.

“When a jurisdiction starts talking about separatism, the first victim is the economy.”

The race is on for Lukaszuk’s Alberta Forever Canada petition campaign as it attempts to get the question, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?” put on a provincial ballot.

Ten per cent of all the eligible voters (293,976) signatures must be obtained by Oct. 28 for the petition to be successful.

Lukaszuk said the Alberta premier has hamstrung the process with convenient timing of political decisions.

“Danielle Smith is playing this game where she says, ‘I’m not a separatist,’ but she’s bending over backwards to tilt the field to make it easier for her separatists. The day after I filed my petition, she proclaimed Bill 54, which makes it easier for separatists to have their petition. If they were allowed to have one, they basically would have to collect half the signatures in almost twice the time, and they would have no barriers on fundraising, where I have major rules on fundraising.”

Early petitions returns have been promising, including getting as many as 8,000 signatures in long lineups in one day, with nearly 3,000 signature collectors certified by Elections Alberta.

The number of canvassers is expected to double within the next month as they make their way across urban and rural Alberta.

Lukaszuk plans to hit the road for a month starting in September as he tours rural Alberta to encourage people to sign the petition and have open conversations about the spectre of separatism if it were to gain steam.

“It ignited a spirit of pride, and people have signed for a variety of reasons. It’s a phenomenon, it’s something I never expected,” said Lukaszuk.

“My position is the sooner we send a strong signal to premier Danielle Smith, to the rest of the country and to the world outside that we are not a divided country, the better. This country is solid by far. Most of us don’t want any changes with respect to jurisdictions. Yeah, we’re not happy with Ottawa from time to time or with other provinces, but we have always have been like that. There are processes in place where we negotiate those things.”

He said support for his petition has been strong.

“I have farmers coming to me and saying we’ve been farming on this land for over 100 years. They’re proud Canadians. Their families came here from somewhere in Europe, got land, broke the land and they would never consider leaving Canada.”

Are they angry with Ottawa from time to time?

“You bet they are,” he said.

“But so are city folks. So are people in British Columbia, and certain people in Saskatchewan. That’s just the nature of who we are. But it’s sort of like a family. You get upset with your child or your wife, but you don’t pack up and go.”

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The Alberta Beef Producers announced earlier this summer its intent to withdraw from the Canadian Cattle Association by next July, stemming from issues with the national organization’s governance structure.

Davies said it’s the part of a long history of western agricultural alienation, including debates over the former Canadian Wheat Board and the current retaliatory tariff war going on with China over canola and electric vehicle tariffs.

“Alberta and Saskatchewan supplies, I think, over half of the beef exports in Canada. It’s those policies we continue to see come out of the East. We’ve got a situation in Canada where interested elites come up with ideas from their ivory towers that the rest of us here in the West have to live and operate and feed our families under those policies that are completely out of step and misguided,” said Davies.

“So when we look at independence as the Republican Party of Alberta, we’re looking at being able to have Made in Alberta solutions to our challenges, not dictated to us by by Ottawa and liberal power brokers back East. So that’s one of the first benefits. The second would be our ability to negotiate our own trade agreements, whether that be with the United States, South Korea, Japan, producers around the world where Alberta being able to have access to markets around the world that they don’t currently have.”

He said the West’s influence in its oil production and agricultural output gives Alberta the clout to make its own decisions, whether that be foreign policy or international relations.

“For the first time, put Alberta producers and farmers first, which is where it should be. But Ottawa doesn’t look at it that way. It’s taking on Alberta-First approaches is what our party is committed to.”

Davies said his party has little interest in the current court case about whether the proposed Alberta referendum question on separation is constitutional.

“I don’t think the courts are going to permit the petition to call fora referendum to go forward, but we’ve been consistent in our position from Day One — the Alberta government can and should schedule a legislatively binding referendum on independence, and let Albertans have their say, whether you’re on the yes side or the no side. That’s something that the premier can do at any point in time with an order in council — legislature can vote on it. It does not require a petition,” he said.

“The petition is a bit of a, let’s call it a make work project for those who want independence. It’s meant to delay, stall and deflate the movement. We’re not playing that game. Every referendum in Canada that’s gone to the public has been initiated by government. That’s a fact. We’re not interested in chasing a never ending goal post of a petition to force a referendum. We’re just calling on the government to do the right thing, listen to the people. It’s a big enough issue in Alberta, listen to the people and let’s have a vote on it and let the chips fall where they may.”

He said the challenges faced by landlocked country’s are not unique to an independent Alberta.

He argued that Alberta’s large oil producer status would give it leverage in negotiations for access to ports, whether it was Vancouver or Seattle.

“There’s no real reason to reinvent the wheel. I think it’s situational. There’s different arguments for access for pipelines versus arguments for our access for shipping grain, cattle and agricultural products. But, international law has set precedence on all of those items. As one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world, Alberta is uniquely positioned to have immense leverage to negotiate international access to market and international access to tidewater than most of the countries in the world who have already done so,” he said.

“Switzerland, as an example, used their position of being a World Bank-type economy to say we need access to our agriculture markets as well, primarily dairy and various products. Paraguay had similar challenges with their beef market. There was a ruling back in the ‘80s, that Paraguay was able to negotiate through international access to tidewater arguments and precedence that gave (them) access to market.”

He said Alberta’s economy relies heavily on trade, especially in energy and agriculture, and establishing embassies and trade offices abroad would be essential to promote its commerce and build new international partnerships.

Davies said he hopes for an amicable split between Canada and Alberta if independence were to be achieved through mutually beneficial trade agreements and access to ports, but added Alberta holds powerful cards if that didn’t happen.

“When it comes to pipelines, British Columbia decided they wanted to restrict our access to market. Alberta has tools in our toolbox, too. If Canada wanted to continue to limit our ability to earn a living and develop our resources and our economy, restrict our market access, those would be issues that would be taken to the international stage instead of Canadian courts that continually rule against our producers,” said Davies.

“If British Columbia wanted to make things very challenging for Alberta to use their ports at exorbitant prices that we don’t currently pay, Alberta and B.C. are separated by the Rockies. If we were to place a toll on every container that came from the ports of Vancouver, those ports would shut down pretty quick. So two can play that game. International trade wars play both ways. I don’t think that’s a scenario we want to see, and I think Canada doesn’t wants to see that either.”

The Republican Party of Alberta was founded in 2022 as the Buffalo Party of Alberta and adopted its current name in February 2025. As of this past June, the party claims to have 24,000 members.

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MacDonald was sworn in as minister May 13 at Rideau Hall as part of prime minister Mark Carney’s first cabinet shuffle since the election.

He said the news of his new role came as a surprise even to him.

“In this business, you just never know … where you’re going land,” he said.

“We went through an election, and you’re kind of decompressing from that, and all of a sudden, Mr. Carney gave me the call, and here I am.

“First of all, you’re excited, obviously, and then the nervousness sets in, you start to think, ‘oh, wow, this is a pretty big event.’ ”

Macdonald represents the riding of Malpeque in Prince Edward Island.

“Farming, coming from the rural part of the country, is obviously on my plate each and every day,” he said.

“So, it’s not unprecedented to be in the middle of the farming issue.”

He said he hopes to have discussions with farmers and provincial ministers across the country to build trust and better understand the issues facing different regions.

“I could sit here and read binders all day, but boots on the ground, I can’t wait to get out of Ottawa, to be quite honest with you, and meet some of these farmers and these provincial ministers as well, to ensure that they understand who I am and what I’m made of, and what I can try to contribute to their success.”

MacDonald previously served on the House of Commons agriculture committee. He said this work allowed him to make valuable connections, including the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Canadian Cattle Association and the Canada Grains Council.

“The handshakes and the friendliness (are) there,” he said.

“We just need to get to work together now on some bigger issues.”

He said he hopes to use these connections to facilitate conversations across regions, including in-person meetings:

“It’s all about understanding their needs and ensuring that they know that I’m accessible.”

Before being elected to the House of Common s in 2021, MacDonald served as finance minister in the P.E.I legislature. He said this experience could be an advantage in his new role.

“It allows me to have a better understanding of the financial resources required to progress the farming community and allows me to speak freely on certain things that maybe some others might not be aware of.”

In addition to his role as agriculture minister, MacDonald was named to several government committees, including the Build Canada committee, which considers issues of economic productivity, including housing and climate action.

While MacDonald said he hasn’t had time yet to be fully briefed on what the committee will entail, he expects some agricultural concerns to carry over into Build Canada, specifically labour force issues.

“I’ll be front and centre with agriculture, ensuring that every decision that is made that they are well aware of the effects it has on the agri-food and agriculture portfolio,” he said.

“That’s my job, to ensure that we’re heard at the cabinet table, and that’s what I intend to do.”

One issue he said he hopes to engage other ministers on is interprovincial trade, which he called a high priority for the government.

Two of the major policies Canadian farmers are hoping to see action on are a formal reversal of the capital gains tax changes and a permanent removal of the carbon tax for on-farm activities.

“On both those issues, I believe the decisions that Mr. Carney came out with, it’s the right decision.”

“I think we were very clear on the carbon tax and eliminating it all together,” MacDonald said, and pointed out he was one of the few Liberal MPs to support Bill C-234, a private members bill that proposed carbon exemptions for some on-farm activities.

MacDonald also said he is aware of concerns around red tape and regulatory burdens. This includes reforms to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, which he says he will be pursuing.

“There’s lots of issues right across the board, and we need to take each and every one of them and categorize them on the importance to those industries,” he said,

“And that’s what we’ll do.

“The lines of communication are open, and we’ll continue to have those discussions, and then bring it back to Ottawa and have those discussions with the bureaucrats, whether it’s CFIA or the department, or whoever needs to hear it, they’re going to hear it.

“I’m knee deep-in this stuff right now … but you learn and live every day, and we’ll just keep progressing forward.”

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Farmers are focused on the needs of our operations and our families, but society is looking to those on the farm to help them heal. The frank realization of our importance in the social fabric came into focus during a conversation with my neighbour.

He’s a ‘down to earth’ kind of guy who thinks a lot and finds it quite fascinating that I am from the farm. This brings to light what Dr. Temple Grandin has been trying to tell us for decades – that our ordinary is someone else’s extraordinary.

We were discussing the state of the nation and the world, from food to conflict and from drugs to disease. You get the picture — a rather somber conversation about the realities for many, especially those who live in conflict. And as we deepened the dialogue to solutions, he very softly said, “If you (farmers) could heal the soil, you could heal us all.”

Think about this from the perspective of not only a societal cry but also an honourable call to duty.

We are the sum of what we put into our bodies, what we believe and feel. As persons of the earth, farmers are closer to the roots of humanity than any other profession. So profound is our knowing that those in agriculture are often at a loss for the words to explain their ties to the soil and their love for the space in which they live.

I cannot express in simple words my own ties to food production because it is so intimate in nature. Yet, like my neighbour, my thought process is global and also appreciative that solutions are local and that the world changes one small act at a time.

What do we need to appreciate in this statement made by my non-farming friend? I believe that by healing the soil, my friend was not referring to carbon sequestration or some sort of sustainable practice.

He was thinking of it being healed to the point where it was self regenerating with systems in place to make that happen; that the soil’s memory once again nurtured beautiful food that was nutrient dense and of benefit to our bodies and our minds.

That is quite a challenge for a food production system that has created soil co-dependencies to achieve the required volume to feed our global populations. In reality, global farmers produce enough food for every person on earth to enjoy the required calories each and every day.

We do not have a food issue. We have distribution, corruption, conflict and competition issues that keep food out of the hands of those that need it. And in shorting those persons, they turn to what they can obtain, regardless of the impact of that choice to the very soil on which it was grown.

In countries of conflict, 50 per cent or more of food production land is negatively affected. It may be taken out of production from land mines, bombing, contamination or the regional droughts created by unloading a massive amount of chemicals in the air. That land may be dead because the birds and insects have been destroyed, the water is poisoned, the port is closed to inputs or because the cows that once fertilized it are gone.

As you read this, there are 110 nations in conflict and it does not take long to destroy the ground that feeds us. In a few short months, over 46 per cent of cropland in Gaza has already been destroyed. That leaves a huge gap in food security for the people today and in the future.

So often farmers in Canada and around the world are accused by those of a self-proclaimed higher authority as the problem in climate challenges. This is to divert our thinking from the realities of those same stakeholders’ participation in conflict, corruption and anti-competition.

War is profitable. Providing the food post-war is profitable. At some point, though, the countries supplying that food will tire their land beyond regeneration.

There is no hope of democracy or peace without food. Agriculture is the solution. While other countries try to rebuild and gingerly walk through mined fields, Canadian farmers are privileged to have the ultimate natural medicine at their feet.

Our lives are extraordinary and though we do produce nutritious plant and animal crops for ourselves and the world around us, we must pause to consider the potential harm if we continue to push the soil too hard or do not stop our own destruction of watersheds, wells, forests and fields.

Once gone, there is no turning back. Who will feed us then? If soil can heal us – and I believe this to be true – we must be mindful of every practice and policy that impacts its ability to heal, for it is the primary physician through food and the conductor of our wellness on the path ahead.

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The report, titled Forces Impacting Animal Agriculture In Canada: A Synthesis, delves into the issues surrounding cattle, dairy and poultry production in the country and how it is interconnected within various factors in day-to-day life of residents.

Al Mussell, CAPI’s director of research, said the report draws from a lengthy technical report and while both that and the Synthesis document come to the conclusion of the importance of animal agriculture, the actual economic impact may not be so clear.

“It makes the point, and really drives home, that animal agriculture is extremely important in Canada. It’s extremely important from an economic growth perspective but it is particularly important regionally in rural areas that otherwise would not have the same levels of employment, levels of income in local communities,” said Mussell.

It’s also an industry that is built on using farming byproducts to increase the value of animals.

The report also highlights that Canada has some of the lowest CO2 emissions from the production of pork and beef, outclassing Western Europe, South America and Australia.

As well, the report highlights that farmers are the most trusted people in the Canadian food system and that animal agriculture in the country produces $90 billion in sales, 164,000 direct jobs and roughly two-and-a-half times that in indirect jobs.

The importance of animal agriculture provides options to farmers whose crops have been ravaged by hail and drought, and enhances pasture lands through grazing.

Mussell said such points can get lost in the complexity of the agricultural food production system.

“The motivation for writing this report, this major initiative on our part, comes out of the concern there are quite a number of people who need to be involved in decisions that relate to animal agriculture but don’t bring particular expertise to it,” said Mussell.

“Those people are in a difficult spot because there is always a tendency to fall into a subset of isolated facts that might take you in a particular direction when in fact this is a much more complicated type of a system.”

The report is designed to provide a well-rounded perspective to such decision makers to offer a balanced understanding of the value of animal agriculture and its importance to many communities.

“In Canada, we have an excellent animal agriculture system. It’s not perfect. There are problems. There are challenges and they need supportive policy to make headway on those challenges,” Mussell said.

One is the continuing diminishing of cattle inventories in the country over the past two decades.

On the other side, the positive parts of the industry when it comes to improving biodiversity through responsible grazing techniques might not be fully understood, Mussell said.

“You look at what we are able to do today to make better use of grasslands, lighten up the footprint of animal agriculture within that — pretty impressive and that’s over and above the basic conversion efficiency of animal agriculture.”

That conversion efficiency applies across Canada and involves calculating land not suitable for crop production and otherwise would be wasted if it were not used for livestock feed, said Mussell.

“We manage all of this in a manner which is profitable for each of the segments involved and which also supports communities that can work together to deal with the many issues that can come up and mitigate those by working together,” said Mussell.

The Forces Impacting Animal Agriculture In Canada: A Synthesis report can be found on the CAPI website.

— Alex McCuaig reports for Glacier FarmMedia from Medicine Hat, Alta.

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“I’m one of the lucky ones,” said Brenna Mahoney, general manager of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP). 

Mahoney entered the industry with no agriculture experience. She had training in human resources and got a term job at Cereals Canada. “I just happened to have a boss who saw potential and connected dots for me.” 

Mahoney spoke during a panel discussion on agriculture technology, education and labour during the Agriculture Enlightened conference in Winnipeg, Oct. 26. 

“When you write your next job description, are you putting agriculture as the number one requirement?” Mahoney asked. “Or are we looking at some of the soft skills?” 

“When we put out a job ad, you know, five to six years working in agriculture is usually the prerequisite so, you know, we automatically have to cancel people out,” she added. 

“We’re really trying to change that conversation around our table,” Mahoney said. 

The panelists discussed how Agriculture in the Classroom plants the idea of agriculture careers in the minds of young people. 

Mahoney told a story about how, at the diner in her small town, the young waitress told her she wanted to become a plant geneticist. When asked where she got that idea, the young woman said that Agriculture in the Classroom had come to her school. 

“And I saw whoo!” Mahoney said. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” 

Panel host Jennifer Flanagan, the CEO of Actua — a firm that connects students with the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields — said her organization recently partnered with EMILI and Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba (AITC-M) to bring agriculture technology to young people, particularly Indigenous youth in the Prairie provinces. 

The project added agriculture technology jobs to a career exploration package Ag in the Classroom provides to teachers AITC-M executive director Katherine Cherewyk said in an interview after the panel. 

Technology is changing quickly, Cherewyk acknowledged. However, she said in her experience, when kids know what they want to do, they begin connecting how they can use new technology to reach their goals. 

For more coverage of Agriculture Enlightened, see future editions of the Manitoba Co-operator, the Western Producer and Grainews.

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Opposition leader Wab Kinew’s New Democrats are expected to form a majority government coming out of Tuesday’s provincial election, unseating incumbent premier Heather Stefanson’s Progressive Conservatives.

Just after 1 a.m. Wednesday, NDP candidates were elected or leading in 34 of the province’s 57 ridings, with the Tories reduced to 22 and the Liberals down to one, and several races still too close to call.

The Tories’ incumbent agriculture minister, Derek Johnson, appeared set to hold his riding of Interlake-Gimli, leading by a margin of 684 votes over NDP challenger Sarah Pinsent-Bardarson with 43 of 44 polling places reporting.

The NDP’s incumbent ag critic, Diljeet Brar, held his northwestern Winnipeg riding of Burrows by a margin of 925 votes over Liberal challenger Garry Alejo with 13 of 13 polling places reporting.

Kinew easily held his south-central Winnipeg riding of Fort Rouge while Stefanson kept her southwest Winnipeg riding of Tuxedo by a spread of just 260 votes over NDP challenger Larissa Ashdown with all polling places reporting.

Both Stefanson and Liberal leader Dougald Lamont — who lost his east-central Winnipeg riding of St. Boniface by a spread of 2,101 votes behind NDP challenger Robert Loiselle — announced Tuesday night they would step down as their respective parties’ leaders.

Brar was first elected to the legislature and named as NDP ag critic in 2019. He came to the critic post with a resume including stints as an assistant professor at India’s Punjab Agricultural University; in ag extension with Manitoba’s provincial agriculture department in Arborg and Beausejour; and as a field crop research assistant for Ag Quest at Minto.

Among its other options for the agriculture portfolio, Kinew’s NDP caucus may also see the return of a former ag minister.

Ron Kostyshyn, who served as Greg Selinger’s minister of agriculture, food and rural development from 2012 to 2016 while representing Swan River, appeared set to retake the riding of Dauphin from the Tories on Tuesday night.

After 1 a.m. Wednesday, Kostyshyn had a lead of 340 votes over PC candidate Gord Wood with 45 of 46 polling places reporting. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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OAC said Wednesday its proposed new “master of plant agriculture” (MPAg) program would allow recent graduates and professionals to “quickly upgrade education and training without the need of conducting academic research through a traditional thesis-based program.”

The University of Guelph-based college would offer the first intake to the new program through its Department of Plant Agriculture starting in the fall of 2024, pending approvals from the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance and the provincial ministry of colleges and universities.

The new master’s degree would “address the demands of employers in the private and public sectors who are looking for professionals with advanced expertise in plant breeding, crop production and plant science,” OAC said in a release.

Students would be able to complete the new program in three or four semesters, allowing international students to be eligible to apply for a post-graduate work permit, the college said.

The program would allow students to study on a full- or part-time basis and select courses lining up with “specific career goals in breeding and genetics, biochemistry and physiology, or crop production systems for both agronomic and horticultural crops.”

“We are consistently hearing that employers are seeking graduates that have the scientific knowledge as well as the hands-on training in plant and agricultural science,” Dr. John Cranfield, acting dean of OAC, said in Wednesday’s release.

(Cranfield was named acting OAC dean in July, after dean Dr. Rene Van Acker was seconded to serve as the University of Guelph’s interim vice-president for research, replacing Dr. Malcolm Campbell.)

“This program will fill this gap and provide graduates with valuable skills in collaboration and communication needed for career success,” Cranfield said.

“This program provides an opportunity for students to gain a more comprehensive knowledge in the core subjects of plant agriculture, without focusing on one particular project through a research degree,” Corteva AgriScience research scientist Dr. Eric Shaw said in the university’s release. “I can see this being an advantage to those applying to Corteva.”

OAC emphasized it continues to offer the “thesis-based” M.Sc. and PhD in plant agriculture, which it described as “ideal for students wishing to pursue careers in research in the private or public sector.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Premier Scott Moe on Tuesday named David Marit, MLA for the southwestern riding of Wood River since 2016 an minister for agriculture and Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. since 2018, as minister responsible for the WSA.

In the added role, Marit takes over from Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill, who was named Tuesday as minister of education. Cockrill had served until now as minister of highways, a post which on Tuesday went to Estevan MLA Lori Carr.

The province set up the WSA in 2012 to handle most of the provincial government’s water management responsibilities, including oversight of water supplies, protection of water quality, safety of drinking water and treatment of wastewater, as well as ownership and management of 72 dams and related water channels.

The WSA isn’t to be confused with SaskWater, the Crown-owned water utility, which provides water, water treatment and wastewater services to several communities, rural pipeline groups and industrial and commercial users.

That corporation also gets new political oversight; Dustin Duncan was named Tuesday as minister for Crown Investments Corp. and minister responsible for SaskWater as well as Crown-owned SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel and SGI. Duncan, the MLA for Weyburn-Big Muddy, was until Tuesday the minister for education.

Among other affected cabinet portfolios of interest to farmers, Christine Tell becomes minister of environment, while Paul Merriman moves over from the health file to replace Tell as minister of corrections, policing and public safety and minister responsible for the provincial Firearms Secretariat. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Gordon MacFadyen, most recently executive director of fiscal management and assistant secretary to Treasury Board with the provincial finance department, was announced Aug. 8 as deputy minister of agriculture, replacing Brian Matheson.

Matheson, who was shuffled Aug. 8 to deputy minister for transportation and infrastructure, had just been named deputy minister for agriculture in April, after holding the title on an acting basis since June 2019.

During his stint as executive director for fiscal management, MacFadyen was responsible for the provincial budget and quarterly forecasting. He also served five years as provincial comptroller and previously held senior financial roles with the education and health ministries. Before joining the province, MacFadyen was director of finance for the City of Summerside.

The deputy ministers’ shuffle is meant “to deliver on priorities as outlined in the ministerial mandate letters that are also being released today,” the province said Aug. 8.

For Bloyce Thompson, who was named as agriculture minister after last April’s provincial election, the Aug. 8 mandate letter from King includes priorities such as:

• continued advocacy for seed potato producers to to restore both domestic and export markets for seed potatoes;
• exploring controlled-environment farming and indoor farming, via greenhouses, tunnels, hydroponics and enhanced storage and refrigeration;
• continuing work on financial and support programs to increase beef cattle production in the province;
• starting the process of creating a provincial food waste reduction strategy;
• working with the housing, land and community ministry toward a land-use plan to maintain agricultural land for food production;
• modernizing the provincial Agricultural Insurance Corporation;
• a long-term plan for safe management of deadstock; and
• working with relevant ministries to help farmers address “workforce challenges in agriculture, specifically focused on housing.”

The changes to provincial departments’ senior management “provide an opportunity for a fresh perspective, renewed energy” and “an opportunity for growth and development for our senior leadership team as a whole,” King said in a release Aug. 8. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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