“We owe it to our future generations to give them a bright future by protecting Saskatchewan and Canadian producers, and that's exactly what this bill is designed to do,” said Carla Beck, Saskatchewan NDP Leader.
The bill, titled The Saskatchewan Farm Security (Foreign Farmland Ownership) Amendment Act, includes a clause that would allow for a court to order that the net proceeds of the forced divestiture of illegally held farmland be forfeited to the government.
In addition, it increases fines that are currently as low as $1,000 and $50,000 to a maximum of $1 million for individuals and from a current maximum of $500,000 to a maximum of $10 million for corporations involved in the illegal foreign ownership of Saskatchewan farmland.
“Our team is committed to working with producers, agricultural and producer organizations and people to ensure proper oversight of farmland transactions, and to putting an immediate stop to foreign land ownership in Saskatchewan,” said Beck.
The bill also removes the limitations that prevent the board from investigating older transactions.
“We expect that Scott Moe and the Sask. Party will do the right thing by getting tough on illegal foreign acquisition of farmland and support this bill," said Trent Wotherspoon, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Agriculture, who introduced the bill Tuesday.
In 2024, the Provincial Auditor identified glaring holes in the process for land transactions and ownership declarations — namely, that reviews typically occurred five months after sales had closed and, in 50 per cent of cases, the Farmland Security Board didn’t request the legally required ownership declarations from corporations registered outside Saskatchewan.
“Farming is the backbone of Saskatchewan’s economy, and this government should be committed to ensuring fairness and opportunity for producers and that the money grown at home stays at home,” Wotherspoon said.
“Clearly, it's time for change.”