RJ Sigurdson’s responsibilities include passing ‘Alberta Agriculture First’ legislation
Alberta’s minister of agriculture and irrigation has new directions from Premier Danielle Smith.
Minister RJ Sigurdson received a new mandate letter on Oct. 2 laying out multiple items the premier wants him to focus on going forward.
“This mandate is about building opportunity and prosperity, while protecting the land and resources that make it all possible,” Sigurdson said in a social media post. “I’m thrilled to get to work on the important initiatives that lie ahead.”
The first piece of Sigurdson’s new mandate letter calls developing and passing ‘Alberta Agriculture First legislation.
These bills should be designed to “significantly reduce unnecessary red tape that is harming the competitiveness of Alberta agricultural products in both foreign and domestic markets,” the letter says.
Alberta has the best score with regards to cutting red tape in the country.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business’s 2025 Provincial Red Tape Report Card scored Alberta a 9.4 out of 10. New Brunswick scored the worst with a 5 out of 10.
Many of Minister Sigurdson’s new goals include expanded access for Alberta products.
This includes finding new markets abroad, and in Canada, and helping to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers for ag products.\
In addition, the ag minister is asked to come up with ways to prioritize and incentivize farming practices that benefit soil health and biological diversity, while cutting costs and increasing fertilizer availability.
Another minister’s new mandate letter crosses over with Minister Sigurdson’s department.
Rebecca Schulz, the minister of environment and protected areas, is to “introduce substantive amendments to the Water Act to improve access to water licenses for municipalities, industry, and agricultural producers…,” her new letter says.
In addition, the associate minister of water, and Minister Sigurdson, are tasked with working together to complete irrigation commitments and explore investment opportunities to support Alberta’s water infrastructure.