Legislative Assembly of Alberta the 30Th Legislature Second Session
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Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Standing Committee on Public Accounts Agriculture and Forestry Tuesday, June 8, 2021 8 a.m. Transcript No. 30-2-25 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Standing Committee on Public Accounts Phillips, Shannon, Lethbridge-West (NDP), Chair Guthrie, Peter F., Airdrie-Cochrane (UC), Deputy Chair Armstrong-Homeniuk, Jackie, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (UC) Lovely, Jacqueline, Camrose (UC) Neudorf, Nathan T., Lethbridge-East (UC) Pancholi, Rakhi, Edmonton-Whitemud (NDP) Renaud, Marie F., St. Albert (NDP) Rowswell, Garth, Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright (UC) Schmidt, Marlin, Edmonton-Gold Bar (NDP) Singh, Peter, Calgary-East (UC) Turton, Searle, Spruce Grove-Stony Plain (UC) Walker, Jordan, Sherwood Park (UC) Office of the Auditor General Participants W. Doug Wylie Auditor General Support Staff Shannon Dean, QC Clerk Teri Cherkewich Law Clerk Trafton Koenig Senior Parliamentary Counsel Philip Massolin Clerk Assistant and Director of House Services Michael Kulicki Clerk of Committees and Research Services Sarah Amato Research Officer Melanie Niemi-Bohun Research Officer Nancy Robert Clerk of Journals and Research Officer Warren Huffman Committee Clerk Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Aaron Roth Committee Clerk Rhonda Sorensen Manager of Corporate Communications Janet Laurie Supervisor of Corporate Communications Jeanette Dotimas Communications Consultant Michael Nguyen Communications Consultant Tracey Sales Communications Consultant Janet Schwegel Director of Parliamentary Programs Amanda LeBlanc Deputy Editor of Alberta Hansard Transcript produced by Alberta Hansard Standing Committee on Public Accounts Participants Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry John Conrad, Assistant Deputy Minister, Primary Agriculture Jamie Curran, Assistant Deputy Minister, Trade, Investment and Food Safety Shannon Marchand, Deputy Minister June 8, 2021 Public Accounts PA-513 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 8, 2021 it, we are in session. Right? Nothing changed. Okay. Good. We’ll Title: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 pa go with: our ministry opening remarks are 10 minutes, the Auditor [Ms Phillips in the chair] General has five, and then our rotations are 12 and nine respectively, hon. members, leaving our reading-in portion of three The Chair: All right. Good morning, everyone. I’d like to call this minutes each the same, and a potential small block of time for other meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts to order. business. Welcome, everyone in attendance. Moving along, then, I will invite our officials from the Ministry My name is Shannon Phillips. I’m the MLA for Lethbridge-West of Agriculture and Forestry to address the office of the Auditor and chair of this committee. Ordinarily we would go around the General’s outstanding recommendations and their annual report room, but I think what we’ll do today is simply just read into the from 2019-20. Please take it away, Deputy. Your time starts when record the attendees, in the interest of time, and the various ways you begin speaking. that people have joined us today. To my right I have Deputy Chair Pete Guthrie, Airdrie-Cochrane; I have the MLA for Lethbridge- Mr. Marchand: Thank you very much, Chair. I’m Shannon East, Nathan Neudorf; I have the MLA for Edmonton-Gold Bar, Marchand, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and I Marlin Schmidt; the MLA for St. Albert, Marie Renaud; the MLA am pleased to be here today and have the opportunity to discuss the for Edmonton-Whitemud, Rakhi Pancholi. On video I have the ministry’s work for the 2019-20 fiscal year. I’m joined today by MLA for Camrose, Jackie Lovely; the MLA for Fort Darrell Dancause, the assistant deputy minister of financial services Saskatchewan-Vegreville, Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk; the MLA and our senior financial officer; Bruce Mayer, assistant deputy for Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright, Garth Rowswell; the minister of forestry; Jamie Curran, assistant deputy minister for MLA for Calgary-East, Peter Singh; the MLA for Spruce Grove- trade, investment, and food safety; John Conrad, assistant deputy Stony Plain, Searle Turton; the MLA for Sherwood Park, Jordan minister of primary agriculture; and Darryl Kay, the chief executive Walker. We have from the Auditor General’s office Auditor officer of the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation. General Doug Wylie and Eric Leonty, Assistant Auditor General. The agriculture and forest sectors are essential contributors to our We are also joined by Michael Kulicki and Aaron Roth from the economy. As such, 2019-20 was a year in which significant change Legislative Assembly Office in their clerk support roles today. was initiated to deliver on a new long-term vision for Agriculture Thank you to all of the officials for joining us. What we will do and Forestry, transforming the ministry into a key economic driver is that I’ll ask officials to simply say your name and your position for the province that is built upon high-quality safety standards and before you speak when you’re answering a question, and then just services for Albertans. Ministry leadership made difficult and say your name when you provide an answer subsequent to that so important strategic decisions on the direction of the ministry and that Hansard can keep up and know who is speaking and to whom how best to support the changing needs of the industries we serve. to attribute the remarks. This included staffing reductions and a close look at ministry Of course, we are in receipt of the recommendations from the programs and services to ensure the best possible use of public chief medical officer of health. People may wear their masks while funds. speaking or not when we are at table here in the room. The importance of prudence and the focus on priorities was Members via videoconference, please ensure that your reinforced as 2019-20 reminded us all just how predictable the microphones are muted unless you’re recognized to speak. Of agriculture and forest sectors can be. The 2019 growing season was course, in the room Hansard operates them for us. We are broadcast not easy for Alberta producers as weather, trade disruptions, and on the Internet and on Alberta Assembly TV. Our transcripts and other challenges had a significant impact on farming operations audio- and videostreams can be accessed via the Legislative across the province. Likewise, wildfire, mountain pine beetle, and Assembly website. the softwood lumber dispute continued to challenge the forest We’ll now move, friends, on to the approval of the agenda. Are sector. there any changes or additions to this agenda at this time? Seeing Our ministry expenses were $2.1 billion, and our revenue was $1 none, I’ll ask a member to move that the agenda for the June 8 billion for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Revenue was $196 million more meeting of our Standing Committee on Public Accounts be than budgeted because of primarily higher than expected AFSC approved as distributed. premiums and federal revenue for AFSC programs as well as higher than expected timber royalties and fees. Within the available budget Mr. Singh: I would like to move the motion. the ministry worked hard throughout the year to support the growth and sustainability of Alberta’s agriculture and forest sectors, The Chair: Okay. Thank you. focusing on public health and safety, responsible resource Mr. Singh has moved. Ms Renaud has seconded. Any discussion management in thriving rural communities. I will now speak to on this motion? Seeing none, all in favour. Are there any opposed? some of the highlights. Thank you. That motion is carried. The first outcome in our 2019 business plan was to support the We’ll now move on to our approval of minutes. We have minutes “growth and sustainability of Alberta’s agriculture and forest from our last meeting of May 18. Do members have any errors or sectors.” The ministry worked to promote Alberta as an attractive omissions to note? Seeing none, I’ll look to the floor for the minutes option for investment, secure market access, create new value- of the May 18, 2021, meeting of the standing committee be added opportunities, and help industry respond to changing approved as distributed. consumer demands. Several standing initiatives support our key Mr. Neudorf: So moved. objectives in this area, including business risk management programs provided through the Agriculture Financial Services The Chair: Moved by Member Neudorf. Is there any discussion on Corporation, AFSC, and grants under the Canadian agricultural this motion? All in favour? Are there any opposed? Seeing none, partnership, CAP. In 2019-20 through CAP we invested nearly $42 that motion is carried. Thank you very much. million in products, market growth and diversification, science and Friends, because we are in session this morning, what we will do research, environmental sustainability, risk management, and is that we’ll be on the in-session two-hour meeting. As I understand public trust. PA-514 Public Accounts June 8, 2021 The ministry also consulted with farmers and ranchers to develop Alberta’s forest resources to provide viable long-term social, an approach that ensures producers’ needs and views guide key economic, recreational, and cultural value to Albertans. One agriculture research priorities. This led to the creation of Results initiative that supported these objectives is the irrigation Driven Agriculture Research, RDAR, in 2020, a nonprofit, arm’s- rehabilitation program, which provided $14 million to help length agriculture research organization. RDAR will align the focus Alberta’s irrigation districts improve the water-use efficiency of of agriculture research and the priorities of its primary clients, their infrastructure. Sustainable forest management includes Alberta’s farmers and ranchers, and strengthen our ties with innovative tree breeding programs and the mountain pine beetle industry and postsecondary institutions. management program. In 2019-20 a $5 million funding increase Similarly, significant public engagement was undertaken prior to helped control the spread of mountain pine beetle, reversed the introduction of the Farm Freedom and Safety Act, 2019.