Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation Minister RJ Sigurdson said when the government started having conversations about Bill C-293, it found it alarming. While Bill C-293 would see the Canadian government implement measures in various sectors to control against future pandemics, Sigurdson said the agriculture part of it is damaging. “But specifically as it relates to agriculture, I think it’s pretty alarming when you have a federal Liberal MP from Toronto that has a complete and utter lack of respect and understanding of how we farm here in Alberta to write the bill that for some reason they believe they have the right federally to regulate the commercial livestock industry in any way they see fit for pandemic preparedness,” said Sigurdson on a Thursday panel at the Rural Municipalities of Alberta Fall Convention and Tradeshow in Edmonton. “The next line to it is to promote plant protein, and the next line right after that says the ability for the federal government to regulate commercial livestock industry and phase out any species at risk.” To Sigurdson, he said Bill C-293 has “very loose language, but also very threatening language to our commercial livestock industry, and it can be very damaging to the investment we’re seeing in the province right now, which I think is very exciting.” Alberta has seen large investments in agriculture. Because of people’s concerns, he said he did a press conference with Alberta government agencies to put a call to action for senators to stop it. He encouraged attendees to put pressure on them to stop Bill C-293. He said he was reaching out to his provincial counterparts to have them put on pressure. However, he said every person and municipality should be concerned about it and should be writing letters to put pressure on every senator to stop it. Sigurdson said Bill C-293 is terrible for Alberta, Canada, and the commercial livestock industry. The Alberta government responded to Bill C-293 on October 24, with Sigurdson calling on the Senate to reconsider it. It said it is intrusive legislation that singles out the agriculture and food industry and interferes with Section 95 of the Constitution Act, which sets agriculture within the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces. “Farming is woven into the fabric of our national identity, with modern livestock agriculture playing a vital role,” said Sigurdson.Alberta Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney said one of her proudest achievements in her ministry is her plan to set up satellite campuses in Grande Prairie and Lethbridge designed for rural medical students so they can get into those seats and practice in their communities. “It’s a novel approach,” said Sawhney. “We have never done this before in Alberta.” While the approach is new, Sawhney said it has received plenty of praise. She said it should be pleasing to attendees, as there are not enough healthcare workers in rural communities. To add on that, she said she is going to take this model and apply it to nurse practitioners. She has spoken to Alberta United Conservative Party MLA Scott Cyr (Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul) about the need for more nurse practitioners in northeastern Alberta. In response, she said the Alberta government will partner with the University of Alberta or another post-secondary institution such as Portage College to get more nurse practitioners to study and stay in rural communities. She said the current model has been successful. She predicted it will lead to 100 more physicians in rural areas after three years. As she applies it to nurse practitioners and X-ray technicians, she said there will be more uptake of them in rural communities. The Alberta government said in 2023 it was working to offer physician training in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie to help bring more physicians to rural areas..UCP government working to offer physician training in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie.Rural Albertans are disproportionately affected by the nationwide shortage of healthcare workers, and they cannot access physician training close to home.The Alberta government would be spending $1 million to explore ways regional post-secondary institutions such as the University of Lethbridge and Northwestern Polytechnic can help deliver medical education outside of Edmonton and Calgary.
