By Colin Budd
With Stats Canada reporting a 55 per cent drop in income expected for Saskatchewan farmers, NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfetler says the government has to do a better job for producers.
Lingenfelter, who doubles as the agriculture critic, told the Source on Friday that cuts to risk management programs have to be reviewed.
“We know oil prices have actually increased a bit and there is extra, there is extra money coming in from that to the treasury of Saskatchewan and we’re urging him to use that money to top up AgStability,” he said. “And also to reintroduce spot-loss hail in Crop Insurance and we think that would go some distance in helping to alleviate the problems that the (Brad) Wall government created by raising SaskPower rates by 18 per cent over the last 14 months.”
Lingenfelter added he also wants to see advocacy to the federal government increase, adding that the feds cut their agriculture budget by 45 per cent over three years.
“I think (the Saskatchewan Party) just take the rural people – and the farmer’s in particular – for granted,” said Lingenfelter.
“I think they look at the numbers in the last election and say the farmers all voted for us, so we don’t have to do anything and I think that sense of entitlement that the Wall government has that farmers are simply going to vote for them no matter what happens is going to end up being a big mistake for them.”