With the provincial election only weeks away, APAS has released a set of proposals designed to get candidates from all political parties thinking about how best to support Saskatchewan’s most important sector.
“Agriculture has ended up being a major driver of the economy during COVID-19,” says APAS President Todd Lewis. “While many other sectors have slowed, agriculture has actually performed better. But farmers can’t be the backbone of the economy without the right government policy.”
The APAS proposals cover a wide range of issues impacting the province’s farmers and other rural residents, including infrastructure, environmental stewardship, resource development on farmland, business risk management, and changing demographics.
“We’re focusing on some big issues,” says Lewis. “Improving rural infrastructure like internet, cell service, and natural gas is urgent, as is committing to public research and fixing business risk management programs so they actually work for farmers. These are just a few of the major challenges to agriculture that we need all the candidates to acknowledge.”
APAS has sent the proposals to every registered political party in Saskatchewan and will be tracking their responses.
“Our hope is to see these recommendations represented in party platforms,” says Lewis.
In addition to releasing its election priorities, APAS is also partnering with the Saskatchewan Farm Stewardship Association to host the Growing Agriculture: 2020 Saskatchewan Provincial Election Forum.
Agricultural producers and political candidates will discuss the top issues for Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers. Hosted by Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture, Growing Agriculture will be broadcast on AccessNow TV and RealAgriculture.com from October 19 to 25.
More:
- APAS election proposals at the glace: read the Summary of Proposals here
- Read our election proposals News Release
- Have a question for the candidates? Submit it here and we might ask it at Growing Agricutlure
