3/12/2018 0 Comments A SOLUTION FOR RURAL SASKATCHEWANIt should be of no surprise for you to hear we have significant division between and amongst the farming community and Indigenous peoples who reside side by side throughout rural Saskatchewan. The farming community say they live in fear for both property and person and cannot rely on law enforcement to respond in a timely fashion when called upon. Statistics Canada reported in 2013 that Saskatchewan leads the country with over 13,000 criminal convictions per 100,000 residents. This is not to say all rural crime is committed by Indigenous people, but it should be noted that while Indigenous people represent 10% of the population Saskatchewan they also represent 81% of criminal convictions. I will share two more statistics to help set the stage. The poverty rate on Saskatchewan reserves is over 80% and the unemployment rate is over 25%. There is an overwhelming correlation between socio-economic disadvantage and involvement in the criminal justice system. Clearly, we have huge problems that we cannot rely on the federal government to solve for us, we need to tackle this together with a clear understanding of the problems we face with clear solutions in mind.
I want to share another set of trends with you and I hope it will soon become clear where the opportunity lies. The average age of farmers in Saskatchewan is today just shy of 55 years old, we lead the nation in this category too. You might also be interested to learn about 25% of farm operators are women. According to Stats Can the growing farm labor shortage is expected to reach over 115,000 by 2025. It is clear the trend is moving towards one of more current older workers retiring at a time when more labour is needed. The irony should be not lost on us that these trends are occurring adjacent to the largest available and growing labor pool of young people in Canada, that found within the Indigenous on reserve population. We are faced with two obvious trends; an exceedingly high unemployment rate amongst youth on reserves and an exceedingly high shortage of on farm labor in Saskatchewan, the very farms, I might add, that are reporting an exceedingly high level of property crime. We hear much these days of the need for reconciliation, I can think of no better way to reconcile than to come together to begin solving two problems with the same solution. Many will be quick to say, “this will never work, there is no trust amongst the parties, they do not like one another, the divisions are too great”. To that, I say two things, necessity has always been the motherhood of invention and never, ever underestimate the power of the human spirit to surprise! Naysayers will also point out, “farm labour is hard, backbreaking work, with little reward, that’s why no one wants to do it. To believe this is to not have been on a modern farm in the last 10 years. The equipment is state of the art, hard physical labor is largely a thing of the past. To work together as one with nature to produce food for the world is a reward in itself that only those that have actually done it can testify to just how life enriching the experience actually is. Today I propose the coming together of the available labour pool in rural Saskatchewan in need of meaningful work with unmet labor demand at the farmgate of Saskatchewan. Now this will not come to be with best wishes and heartfelt desire. That being said, all great accomplishments do begin with a vision and a desire for change. From this desire a meaningful plan can be formed, one we can all get behind, one we can share, support, build upon and celebrate. Why do I believe this will work? For starters, lets consider the value of work. The Royal College of Psychiatric Medicine tells us the data overwhelmingly supports the contention that work is beneficial to both health and well being and the lack of work, in turn, is detrimental to health and well being. Secondly, lets consider the pride of ownership, specifically the pride found in the ownership of work well done and properly compensated for. Consider that our human nature dictates that it’s much easier to commit a crime against someone you don’t know very well, but it is much harder to commit a crime against someone with whom you have a relationship with and especially upon someone you rely upon for your own continued employment and advantage. By the same token, it is much easier to build trust and respect for someone who brings you real value, in this case the value and support great employees bring to their employer. The development of a mutually beneficial relationship, built on trust is our very best opportunity to improve the situation in rural Saskatchewan. Of course, there is risk in this idea, in the beginning it will require an extension of a certain amount of trust that is not currently apparent. It will require a desire for change by all parties and will require the support of politicians in both the Indigenous and Non-Indigenous communities alike. Saskatchewan recently developed and piloted an on-farm labor training program that was discontinued after only one year due to lack of uptake. The problem, it was not targeted at the available labour pool and had no clear objectives. If we described the opportunity well and target the training to on reserve Indigenous youth we would begin to see remarkable results. Farmers would be quick to take advantage of a new source of on farm labour, employees they know to be trained and that come with an authentic desire to do well. Trust will grow, and lasting relationship will form. Employment rates will grow amongst the on-reserve population and rural property crime will go down. Labor shortages will be reduced, on farm losses that currently occur due to a lack of qualified labour will fall and the economy will grow. The pressure on the legal system will ease and a relationship built on harmony will begin to flourish. I would propose a completely voluntary program be developed together by Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people alike. Farmers would place their employment needs into the program, Indigenous people currently living on reserve, especially unemployed youth, would indicate their desire to become trained and employed within the local farm community. The provincial and federal government would jointly make available funds to provide training, and at least initially, subsidize the wage costs associated with the program to get it up and running. These early inducements would encourage participation in the program as trust and relationship is allowed to build. I have outlined the challenges we face in rural Saskatchewan. High property crime rates, an erosion of trust amongst communities, high unemployment rates and extreme poverty on reserves and an aging and shrinking labor pool on farms that will only grow in the coming decades. The solution has been staring us in the face for just as long. Our path forward can be found in bringing people together who each bring a need that the other party can help meet. Where we are faced with bold challenges bold solutions are called for. The bold solution I have proposed to you today only needs a collective will and a sincere desire for change to become the successful reality of tomorrow.
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I grew up as part of a big family on a big mixed farm on the Prairies of Canada. All my opinions are my own. I have an Ag degree from Saskatoon and an MBA from New Brunswick. I am happily married with four children. I love my work, my family and my community and will guard them all ferociously. I try to bring critical thought to all I do and all I say. Leadership through example is the best way forward. |