Alberta MLA Pat Stier Speech: God Made A Farmer.

[grassfarmer]

I don't think BSE was a great example perfecho as there were some genuine attempts by the Klein administration to right things as best they could, albeit they didn't get it all right.

More relevant were the land bills Bills 19, 36 and 50 as they were pieces of legislation like Bill 6. They were rushed through parliament and passed without consultation with farmers, indeed the content was only exposed later by Joe Anglin and Keith Wilson who took it upon themselves to go around the province and demonstrate what was in them. In doing so it was discovered that the MLAs who had passed it had never even read it.

These bills were the greatest assault on property rights ever attempted in a western democracy, set up to circumvent the expropriation laws, to grant the power to the cabinet to remove any of your property rights without giving you any compensation and specifically barring you from taking legal action to fight these injustices. This made the cabinet the law of the land and also put them above the law.

To me this was obviously a far greater attack on farmers and land owners yet you could hardly interest most in the subject never mind getting them to a rally. It did however give rise to the Wildrose. Without the land bills they would never have been a position to challenge for power.

[perfecho]

I will admit this bill has been handled much differently than the other actions Notely has taken...and do wonder why?
Agree, we do need some of the bill, not all of it...what I detest is the rally to do away with all of it and start from the beginning...and the Wild Rose influence to do so, which is a waste of money...start from the ends and work towards the middle..IMHO

[Hamloc]

I stand to be corrected on this but as far as I can tell these land bills 19,36 and 50 are still on the books. Which means the NDP can now expropriate land at will. During the 2012 election they promised to repeals these bills I wonder what they think now? As for Albertans different reaction the only defence I can offer is that bill 6 affects every farm, the land bill would only affect a percentage. I would also say it is a matter of trust at the time the land bills were introduced people trusted the PC's, I don't believe farmers trust the NDP, I certainly don't. I do agree the land bills are more draconian and the NDP can use them if someone objects to windmills construction on their farm,just an example.

[BFW]

Hamloc I think you have hit the nail on the head. Farmers whether they should have or not, trusted the PCs. They do not trust the NDP at all. Its that simple.

[TOM4CWB]

Farm Safety has ALWAYS been a priority with Alberta Agriculture:

Here is a e-mail... that shows this issue WAS being fairly dealt with ... without Bill 6. We in Alberta DO care about farm safety... a good example of how below:

"Safety Training Resources‏

Safety Training Resources
Lindsay Rodriguez (Lindsay.Rodriguez@gov.ab.ca) Add to contacts 14/05/2015 Keep this message at the top of your inbox
Lindsay.Rodriguez@gov.ab.ca
Good afternoon ,

I am sure you are all very busy with spring activities - I hope everything is running smoothly and safely!

You may have some new employees on the farm this spring so I thought it would be a good idea to pass on some safety training information. ARD has recently purchased several training courses through the Canadian Ag Safety Association that are available on loan to borrow for your employee safety training:

· Seasonal Agricultural Worker Health and Safety Orientation

· Confined Spaces Entry Awareness

· Safety and Health Orientation for Dairy Barn Workers

The courses come with an instructors manual and a power point presentation for ease of use. Not only are you able to access these training resources free of charge, but you can do it on-farm saving time and travel for you and your employees.


A further four courses are available for use by an instructor with safety expertise:



· ATV Safety Awareness for Agricultural Work

· Tractor and Farm Machinery Safety Orientation

· Low Stress Cattle Handling

· Conducting On-Farm Health and Safety Inspections

Farm owners can refer to the ARD Farm Safety Directory at www.agriculture.gov.ab.ca for a list of safety instructors with agriculture experience. It might be a good idea to work with a community or commodity organization to host the training or bring several farms together to share the cost of hiring an instructor.

Last but not least I want to let you know about two online training courses available for you:

· WHMIS 2015 for Workers at http://ccohs.ca/products/courses/whmis_workers/&print=true Available FREE!

· Various ag safety courses at http://casa-acsa.ca/training FREE until May 31st!

If you have any questions about these courses or anything else you need for your safety plan, please don’t hesitate to give me a call,

Laurel Aitken

Farm Safety Coordinator,

Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development,

6547 Sparrow Dr, Leduc"

Farmers in Alberta are not stupid, and have had some of the safest farms on the planet... with most hours worked WITHOUT and injury or accident.
Cheers

[grassfarmer]

Hamloc, I understand there were limited amendments made to the Land Bills but they still are on the books as you say. Not sure how impactful the amendments were.
Don't know where the NDP are in relation to repealing them but I do know that in the past Brian Mason was one of the few MLAs to oppose these bills and stand up for farmers rights.

You are wrong to say that these bills only affected a percentage of farms - you are maybe confusing it with the powerline issue? As they were written the land bills not only applied to farmland but to all property owners, including potentially a house owner in Millwoods or Medicine Hat as the whole province was to be covered under regional plans. It gave them the power to rescind ALL licences including grazing leases, irrigation water rights and presumably even marriage licences. That is how bad these bills were.

As you and BFW agree this is not really about farm safety regulation - it's about not liking and not trusting the NDP. That is your right but remember the farm vote is of no significance in AB so they can pass this and it will hardly cost them a vote.

In that light I think you have a really good opportunity to influence this legislation - at least the NDP are prepared to consult and discuss. The PCs were so arrogant and dictatorial that opportunity never existed in recent years.

[TOM4CWB]

Grassy;
"you have a really good opportunity to influence this legislation"

I hope you do not hold your breath... waiting for changes... much in the media is hearsay... when it shows up in the AB Leg.... we will find out what cut the new ND gov. is... good to hope... nothing wrong with that!