Federal Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow says it’s “disgusting” that federal agents allegedly trespassed on Saskatchewan farmland.
In a letter to federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault on Aug. 22, the Saskatchewan government said it wants an explanation from Ottawa after federal employees allegedly took water samples from farmers’ lands without permission.
Barlow said farmers are already stressed about Ottawa’s move to reduce fertilizer emissions and the relationship between the federal government and farmers is “strained as is.”The alleged trespassing is “a clear sign that the federal and Liberal government don’t trust farmers or the provincial government to do the job they always do, which is protecting water,” Barlow told The Epoch Times on Aug. 24.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has said it’s investigating the incidents. The agency confirmed in a statement that water scientists were approached by a landowner who notified them they were on private land as they took samples near a highway in Pense, Sask. on August 11.
“ECCC is also looking into the other two locations, though have found no record of them so far,” said the Aug. 22 statement.
An ECCC spokesperson said staff has been collecting samples in water bodies at targeted sites across the country for Health Canada this year, and that no nitrates or other nutrients are being sampled in the collection.
Cockrill also warned Guilbeault that staff sent by Ottawa could be prosecuted or arrested if they don’t seek permission to access private property.
