In handing down the province's mid-year update Finance Minister Donna Harpauer projected a $2.7 billion deficit adding that the shortfall was mainly because of an expected $2.4 billion dollars in crop insurance claims.
APAS Vice President Ian Boxall responded in a press release saying over the years a surplus has been built up in Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation ( in 2020 SCIC reported a $2.4-billion surplus ) adding that it's not fair to blame producers for a provincial deficit in a drought year when that surplus gets used up.
Harpauer and Agriculture Minister David Marit responded with an open letter to APAS President Todd Lewis.
They called on APAS to retract the statement noting that to suggest that the provincial government is somehow blaming our agricultural producers for the financial deficit reported in the financial update presented earlier this week is not only false, it is offensive.
Thursday, Lewis responded with a letter to both ministers and a copy to the Premier saying 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.
He says pointing out that producers are not responsible for a deficit situation when previous year’s results are taken into account is our organization’s job, adding there was no intention to offend anybody.
See the full release exchange below.
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