YORKTON (SK)
June 29, 2006

OPEN LETTER

The Right Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
The Hon. Chuck Strahl, Federal Minister of Agriculture
The Hon. Mark Wartman, Minister of Agriculture, Province of Saskatchewan
The Hon. Lorne Calvert, Premier of Saskatchewan

Dear Sirs:

I write to you on behalf of the people of northeastern Saskatchewan who have been devastated by acts of nature and continue the struggle for daily survival.

The crisis facing the residents of this area is monumental, and I don’t believe the cry for immediate help can be stressed enough. The people in the Rural Municipality of Porcupine and those in the surrounding area will not make it through this catastrophe without significant assistance.

The situation in the affected area has exploded to become much more than a farming crisis. Communities and businesses in the area survive only with support from farm families. Because there is no cash flow to these producers, businesses are closing and people are being forced to relocate. The entire region is dying.

My offices have received countless letters, phone calls, faxes and e-mails from residents of the affected area pleading for a real show of support. Many of these producers have yet to see a penny of the previously announced aid, and many are on the verge of having equipment repossessed. For most, the acres they managed to seed this year, despite the flooding, will not produce enough to cover the spring cash advances.

I need to convey to you the seriousness of this crisis. Without immediate, substantial aid, there is no tomorrow for these farmers and these communities. We are talking about people who can’t pay bills, who can’t afford to hire an accountant to help file forms to apply for CAIS, and who can’t afford to feed their own families. This crisis is taking a toll on everyone.

There is no summer holiday for our producers, and I expect that until real aid is designated to the farmers of northeastern Saskatchewan, our political leaders will stay on task as well. We have people watching their life’s worth of work disappear before their eyes, and the circumstances are beyond their control.

I ask that as federal and provincial government leaders, you move to make available immediate aid for these producers. We need to understand what is needed and get together to make a real difference. This is not a situation that can wait until sessions reconvene in September or beyond.

Yours sincerely,

Garry Breitkreuz, MP
Yorkton-Melville