Keystone Agricultural Producers
August 2018 Advisory Council Meeting Resolutions - Thursday, August 9 (Brandon, MB)

 

Trespassing
Whereas, trespassers can create new risks to landowners and livestock operations by introducing soil borne diseases such as clubroot, verticillium wilt or herbicide tolerant weeds like glyphosate resistant kochia or livestock diseases like PED virus which could threaten producers’ livelihoods; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, THAT KAP meet with the Government of Manitoba to discuss making trespassing on private property a chargeable offence.

 

Pump Stations
Whereas, in 1984, the Province of Manitoba constructed three pump stations to divert water from the Assiniboine River into the Elm River, the LaSalle River and the Mill Creek during periods of low water flow; and

Whereas, the water in these three waterways is used for agriculture, irrigation, domestic and municipal purposes; and

Whereas, the Province of Manitoba has not maintained these pump stations; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, THAT KAP lobby the Government of Manitoba to repair and maintain the three pump stations that divert water from the Assiniboine River into the Elm River, the LaSalle River and the Mill Creek, and continue to operate these pumps as required to maintain an adequate flow of water in the Elm River, Mill Creek and LaSalle River.

 

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Whereas, Canada has signed on to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) which opens market access to many Pacific countries; and

Whereas, access to these countries for Canadian grown products will be very beneficial for Canadian farmers; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, THAT KAP urge the Government of Canada to ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership before the adjournment of the House in December 2018; and be it further

Resolved, THAT KAP immediately contact Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr requesting a meeting to discuss ratification of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

 

Provincial Burning Ban – District 11
Whereas, the spring of 2018 was extremely dry; and

Whereas, the Government of Manitoba’s Department of Sustainable Development had considered a province-wide burning ban; and

Whereas, a province-wide burning ban would cause hardship on producers of some crops that rely on the ability to burn residue prior to spring planting; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, THAT KAP lobby the Government of Manitoba to allow local governments to make all decisions regarding burning of crop residue outside of the period when Manitoba Agriculture restricts fall burning of crop residue.

 

Veterinary Health Products
Whereas, Health Canada has proposed an increase of up to 500 percent for the review and maintenance of veterinary drugs, effective April 1, 2019, and these excessively high fees will result in fewer veterinary drugs being registered in Canada, leaving our food animal industries in a less competitive position in the Canadian and global markets and creating an increasingly difficult challenge to maintain animal health and welfare; and

Whereas, the current fees and approval process already creates an environment where drug companies are not marketing products to smaller markets such as the Canadian sheep industry, and Canadian sheep producers have to acquire these drugs on an emergency drug release (EDR), which adds substantial costs to the veterinary drugs and increases the withdrawal times. This inhibits the marketing of lambs on an EDR product or requires the alternative of not treating or using drugs that are less effective or unapproved; and

Whereas, veterinary drugs are registered and used readily in other countries with high approval standards such as the United States, the European Union and Australia based on sound research and data collection from larger livestock populations than exists in Canada; now, therefore be it

Resolved, THAT KAP lobby the Government of Canada for Health Canada not to allow the proposed fee increases as it will have serious consequences to the entire Canadian livestock industry; and be it further

Resolved, that KAP lobby Health Canada to reassess its current service fees and approval process to accept the research and data from other countries, so that more veterinary drugs can be registered in Canada for all commodity groups, especially smaller groups such as the sheep industry.

 

Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) Drivers Licensing Exemption
Whereas, MPI requires that after the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program workers have been here for 90 days that they must pass a written and driving test in order to continue driving in Manitoba, even though it does not offer a driving test in their native language; and,

Whereas, these workers need to travel on provincial roads to get to their worksites and back home, and also need to be able to get to town to send money home and buy groceries; and

Whereas, with the backlog for booking a driving test there is a good possibility that the worker would not get their license before they would need to return home; and

Whereas, in BC, foreign workers under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program are exempt from having to obtain a provincial driver’s license after being in the province for 3 months; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, THAT KAP lobby the Government of Manitoba and work with MPI to exempt foreign workers under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program from having to obtain a Manitoba driver’s license after being here for 90 days.

 

Manitoba Driver Licensing for Seasonal and Temporary Workers
Whereas, workers from both the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program and Temporary Foreign Workers Program have to pass the Manitoba driver’s licensing knowledge test and road test to drive in the province in the future; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, THAT KAP lobby the minister responsible for Manitoba Public Insurance to instruct MPI to develop digital training modules and written manuals in both Spanish and Tagalog for the Manitoba driver’s licensing knowledge test; and be it further

Resolved, THAT KAP lobby the Government of Manitoba to establish a reciprocal agreement with the Philippines and Mexico for driver licensing.

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During the meeting, delegates repeatedly raised the need for increased cell coverage, especially after the Alonsa-area tragedy. They noted it is not only necessary for disaster warning, but also for farmers working alone in the field who may experience an accident or medical issue. One delegate said it was very frustrating to be able to see a cell tower, and not have reception.

A resolution was not passed on this issue, as it is already KAP policy to lobby for better service.

Many delegates said their districts were experiencing extremely dry conditions, with some noting that dugouts that have not been empty since the 1980s are drying out. As a result, yields appear to be down for those crops already harvested. Many stressed that hay and forage supplies are dire.