NDP calls for 'urgent action' for farmers while the Sask. Party says it's already providing it
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Scott Moe, Saskatchewan's NDP opposition is calling for "urgent action" to help farmers facing a potentially catastrophic growing season due to drough conditions.
"In meeting with producers, we have heard major concerns about crop yields and access to feed and water for livestock," the NDP letter said.
"Failure to act now risks farm and ranch losses, deep financial and emotional impacts for families, and major negative repercussions for the Saskatchewan economy.
In the letter, NDP leader Ryan Meili said the current conditions remind him of the "drought and insect problems" witnessed growing up on a farm in the 1980s.
"We need a serious plan to get producers and ranchers through this drought year and a long-term plan to ensure the success of the agriculture sector on which we all rely," Meili said.
In response agriculture minister David Marit thanked the NDP for its letter and pointed to steps the Sask. party government has taken including changes to Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation rules to allow low yielding crops to be cut immediately and a temporary increase to the maximum funding a livestock producer can receive under the Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program.
"I can assure you I have heard these concerns loud and clear from the farmers and ranchers I speak with every day," Marit said.
"We are also working closely with our federal and provincial counterparts to explore additional options to support producers," Marit said.
The NDP's letter came the same day the federal government announced the early designation of the Livestock Tax Deferral provision for prescribed drought regions of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.
It's a move that Marit said the Government of Saskatchewan welcomes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers 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.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
NEW 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire': A crowd pleaser that turns it up to 11
Hot on the heels of last year's 'Godzilla Minus One' comes 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,' the first ever Academy Award winner in the giant reptile's decades-long film career.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.