By Teena Monteleone

Federal budget not good for P.A. or rural Sask: Hoback

Mar 23, 2017 | 2:00 PM

The member of parliament for Prince Albert is concerned funding announcements in the federal government’s budget won’t trickle back into Saskatchewan or his riding.

Conservative MP Randy Hoback said the announcement of $70 million over six years to support agricultural discovery science and innovation doesn’t help local farmers get their products to market faster, or cheaper.

“There is nothing in the budget to support research and development for farms directly…like developing new seeds or trade for products,” Hoback said. “And they are taking away tools for proper income tax planning by getting rid of the cash deferral project.”

Finance Minister Bill Morneau said consultations will be launched on the cash ticket deferrals on listed grains that currently allow farmers to defer a portion of their income to the next year. Ottawa wants to end the program but Hoback said its going to create a situation where farmers can’t plan taxes accordingly.

“If they have a strong year, they will pay high taxes. If they have a poor year…they won’t have income from their strong year to weather them through the poor year because it’s going to be grabbed by the government here in Ottawa. It’s a huge issue for farmers,” Hoback explained.

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The MP also took issue with infrastructure dollars geared only towards big cities, but not rural communities or cities the size of Prince Albert. Hoback said the creation of an infrastructure development bank would only accommodate big cities with projects in excess of $50 million.

“Communities like P.A., or Melfort, or Tisdale don’t have projects that big…maybe they would cost five to $10 million…but they wouldn’t be big enough for the infrastructure bank to be involved,” Hoback said.

Hoback added a disproportionate amount of money is going into cities at the expense of rural Canada.

FSIN optimistic about 2017 federal budget

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is optimistic federal investments in First Nations education, health, justice and infrastructure could help narrow the gap between Indigenous people and the rest of Canada.

“The real test will be to see how much of this flows through the bureaucracy to where it’s needed,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said.

Among the funding highlights, Cameron noted the $90 million increase over two years to the Post-Secondary Student Support Program will provide more First Nation youth the opportunity for higher education. The FSIN will work to ensure funding from a $828.2 million investment in Indigenous health services over five years ends up where it’s needed most: on the ground, in First Nation communities.

The 2017 budget offers $24 million per year, on an ongoing basis, to ensure the timely resolution of specific claims. The Specific Claims Tribunal recently awarded Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation with a $4.5 million settlement over Treaty payments withheld after the 1885 Riel Rebellion. The FSIN said new funds could be good news for the 13 other First Nations with claims stemming from the same action.

teena.monteleone@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TeenaMonteleone