Proposed legislation coming forward this fall to replace Bill 6 will certainly take into account comments and submissions made during public consultations held across the province this summer, says Devin Dreeshen, minister of agriculture and forestry and area MLA.
The Farm Freedom and Safety Act will be introduced this fall to replace the previous NDP government’s controversial Enhancement of Protection of Farm and Ranch Workers Act, which brought non-family agricultural workers under occupational health and safety rules and regulations.
The consultations took place over eight weeks and saw meetings held in 25 communities, including Olds. About 1,000 people attended the meetings, and about 1,200 submissions were made through the online survey.
“Now we are at the stage where we are going to compile the consensus that we built throughout those consultation,” said Dreeshen. “We hope to draft and introduce legislation that will work for farmers."
The intention is to introduce and pass the legislation this year, he said.
Dreeshen says during the consultations this summer he was told many times that farmers want options when it comes to insurance.
“A common thing that we heard was a choice in insurance,” he said. “With Bill 6 there was mandatory WCB coverage. A lot of farms have had private insurance and they were frustrated that they were forced to pay WCB insurance premiums on top of their private insurance premiums, when they had zero intention of using WCB. That choice of insurance was a recurring theme that we heard at all consultation stops.”
Asked if the new legislation will allow farmers and ranchers to choose between WCB or private insurance, he said, "That’s something we heard and I would not be surprised if that was in the final legislation."
Dreeshen says many of those who attended the consultation meetings told him that they felt the previous government and some activists have been “attacking” their industry.
“There was a frustration,” he said. “To see how widespread that feeling was, that farmers and ranchers felt attacked.”
NDP MLA Lorne Dach said Bill 6 was good for Alberta farms and ranches.
“Farm workers deserve the same protection as any other worker in this province," said Dach. "Our plan provides more coverage for workers and it protects the farm owners from liability if someone is injured at work, and for what the workers receive, it’s actually cheaper.
“If workers who are injured on farms can’t get the treatment and the support they need to return to work, is the UCP going to increase income support payments to keep a roof over their head and food on the table?”
