Released on March 22, 2006
Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert will meet Prime Minister Steven Harper tomorrow in Ottawa."Obviously, equalization continues to be file number one for Saskatchewan," Premier Calvert said. "I will be asking the Prime Minister for a timeframe for when his government will honour the commitment it made when it comes to a fair deal for Saskatchewan. Mr. Harper and the Saskatchewan Conservative Members of Parliament have consistently promised to remove non-renewable natural resources from the equalization formula and I look forward to the fulfilment of that promise without undue delay.
"The second priority for me during the meeting will be agriculture. I was disappointed to hear earlier this week that the federal agriculture minister has ruled out a request from Saskatchewan for an emergency injection of $200 million for producers in our province in time for spring seeding. Agriculture experts are predicting a negative farm income year in Saskatchewan. We opened our legislative session this month with an emergency debate on agriculture. Saskatchewan politicians at all levels should be fully aware of the critical situation facing all producers and the need for immediate action," the Premier said.
Calvert said he is also planning to seek updates from the prime minister on residential school payments and the Kelowna Accord.
"Another issue I will raise with Prime Minister Harper is child care and early childhood education. I will be seeking an extension of the deal that we signed with the previous federal government," Calvert said.
Calvert said he is expecting a positive, first, one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Harper.
"Tomorrow is the two-month anniversary of Mr. Harper's election victory and I will use the opportunity to make progress on issues of importance to Saskatchewan people such as agriculture, child care and specifically equalization," Premier Calvert concluded.
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