WESTLOCK — Westlock County’s resolution calling on the province and federal government to help shield Canada’s agriculture sector from the effects of the Inflation Reduction Act has now been passed by the membership of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA).
The resolution was presented for the RMA membership to vote on during their annual fall convention from Nov. 6-9 in Edmonton.
In an e-mail, county reeve Christine Wiese indicated that 77.3 per cent of members were in favour of the resolution.
As noted on the RMA’s website, when a resolution is passed by the association’s membership, it becomes “top of mind” when the RMA develops positions or key messaging over the following three years.
“Depending on how specific the direction in the resolution is, resolutions could either guide RMA’s broader advocacy work or directly lead to a specific advocacy action on the part of the RMA, such as developing a report of committee,” the website states.
Also, after each convention, endorsed resolutions are sent to the relevant government ministries and other applicable organizations for their response.
Westlock County’s resolution was originally approved by councillors at their Sept. 12 meeting before being passed at the zone level.
As noted above, it refers to the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark piece of U.S. legislation passed in August 2022.
As explained in the resolution, the act provides a distinct and significant advantage to U.S. producers over their Canadian counterparts by providing billions for climate-smart agricultural practices.
The resolution calls on the provincial government to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the federal government to address the challenges posed by the IRA.
It also calls for the creation of a joint task force or committee consisting of representatives of the provincial and federal governments, industry stakeholders, the RMA itself and other agricultural associations.
The purpose of this task force/committee will be to evaluate the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on Canadian producers and propose necessary policy changes to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of Alberta’s ag industry.
Wiese stated that as a reeve for a rural municipality where the main industry is agricultural and as an agriculture producer herself, she believes it is a responsibility to be aware of local, provincial, federal and global impacts on the agriculture sector.
“The Inflation Reduction Act is already showing a major impact when it comes to recruiting new investment in Alberta’s energy and agricultural sectors,” Wiese said.
“We need an immediate plan to counter the IRA and position Alberta and Canada in a more competitive environment.”
Wiese said Westlock County was proud to advocate on this issue and is doubly proud to now “have the support of the amazing team at RMA.”
