Sask. premier responds to Ag Producers concerns about crop insurance surplus
Saskatchewan’s premier thinks the group that represents local farmers should have reached out before it started criticizing remarks made by the finance minister.
Last week, a war of words was waged between the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) and the government regarding the provincial deficit and crop insurance payments.
“I think we have a couple ministers who were to some degree caught off guard, that there was a letter put out without a prior phone call with respect to some pretty you know direct criticism,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said.
APAS said it is concerned about the province’s claim that Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) payments “caused the provincial deficit in 2021,” in a news release Wednesday. The comments follow the government’s mid-year fiscal update, where the province said the deficit is higher than was forecast at budget, despite mid-year revenue growth.
It started a flurry of letters betters between APAS and the government.
Minister of Agriculture David Marit and Minister of Finance Donna Harpaur responded to APAS’ claims in a letter addressed to president Todd Lewis on Wednesday afternoon, calling the suggestion that the province blamed producers for the deficit “false” and “offensive.”
“The comments provided by Vice-President Ian Boxall suggest that perhaps he is unfamiliar with the concept of summary financial reporting, a budgeting standard that the province adopted in 2014,” the letter from the government reads.
Harpauer said while delivering the province’s fiscal update last week, that Saskatchewan would have seen a significant improvement from budget and a much lower deficit had it not been for support needed for producers as a result of the drought.
The provincial budget will record an additional $1.8 billion in crop insurance claims and $292.5 million in assistance to cattle producers. The crop insurance money came from premiums paid by farmers. APAS said it’s not fair to blame producers for a deficit in a drought year.
“Producers are concerned that the general public has a perception that farmers are receiving a break or a bailout when they receive a crop insurance cheque,” the latest letter from Todd Lewis, APAS president, said.
The money comes from a fund cost-shared by producers, the federal and provincial governments.
The government stands by its remarks.
“If we could disregard, not just set aside the support that is required to be paid out to producers because of the support program that we have in place, Saskatchewan would be very close actually to being in a balanced budget situation this year,” Moe explained
APAS and the government both agree that their goal is to work in the best interest of farmers. APAS says it didn’t mean to offend anyone and the two sides are engaging in private discussions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Ontario reveals highest public sector salaries in sunshine list
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.