Federal Agriculture Minister Holds Pre-Budget Meeting with Farmers in Saskatchewan
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz met with farmers and ranchers in the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan area on Tuesday to seek input on agriculture policies and share ideas on how to boost growth in the agriculture sector.
The roundtable is part of Minister Ritz’s effort to host ongoing pre-budget consultations with farmers and the agriculture industry. The minister was also joined by Kelly Block, MP for Saskatatoon-Rosetown-Biggar.
"Our government is focused on policies that create jobs, economic growth, and long-term prosperity for all Canadians," said Minister Ritz. "Meetings like this allow our government to work directly with farmers to develop innovative programs that will ensure agriculture remains a key driver of the Canadian economy."
Some of the key topics discussed where changes in the grain industry, with farmers having the freedom to market their grain on an open market, to changes made to the Canadian Grain Act, which will modernize the Canadian grain industry, and also the introduction of the Fair Rail Freight Service Act. Much of the discussion revolved around topics related to Saskatchewan and Western Canadian agriculture.