Ryan Kiedrowski
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The World-Spectator
“Did you guys catch who that was?” Brad Wall said with a proud father grin.
As the province’s 14th premier took the stage at a speaking event on the final day of Canada’s Farm Show in Regina recently, his son’s famous deep and gruff baritone voice echoed throughout the venue. “Do you want to give a formal plug?” asked host Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel, with a knowing smile.
“That was a young fellow by the name of Colter Wall playing—thanks for the chance to give him a plug—because if you stream his stuff or buy a shirt or buy a mug, there’s a reasonable chance you’re supporting his cow habit, which helps our yearling operation,” joked the elder Wall.
Eschewing a traditional introduction—and this being an informal coffee chat anyhow—Jolly-Nagel prompted Wall to introduce himself instead of pouring over facts and figures about his career.
“I would introduce myself as Tami’s husband, and Megan, Colter and Faith’s dad,” he began. “But I would also say this—with a full heart and very sincere heart: I am the luckiest guy you know; I’m blessed. Starting with family obviously first, but then I got to do my dream job for about 10 years.
“If somebody would have told me then that whatever you do after this job in politics, you are going to enjoy it as much or more, I would not have believed them, as it was my dream job. And that has, in fact, been exactly the case. So I’m very, very fortunate.”
Currently, Wall is a silent partner in son Colter’s yearling operation, plus remains active in the consulting business he began right after his political career.
“No banjo playing?” Jolly-Nagel ribbed.
“I only ever knew the one lick—that ‘Deliverance’ lick,” Wall replied, reminiscing about the 2013 Riders’ Banjo Bowl loss (despite the Green Machine dominating the Labour Day Classic that year, and going on to win a much bigger prize), which somehow was blamed solely on a silly, yet cocky jibe at the Bombers via video. “At the end of the season, I was still getting hate for playing the banjo and ruining their chances at the Banjo Bowl. I would remind them, ‘well, we won the Grey Cup that year, 2013’. Doesn’t seem to matter. They were all still mad. I had people giving me very creative instructions as to what I should do with my banjo!”
Within short order, both Jolly-Nagel and Wall got down to business, tackling the tough questions of the day, such as where government actually sits in the ag industry spectrum.
“The role of government in agriculture, I think, is twofold,” Wall said. “I think it’s both defensive and it’s offensive.”
He referenced agriculture programs funded by all levels of government, protecting the industry, and levelling the playing field on a global scale. Flipping to the offensive approach, Wall also pointed out the need for governments to do things other than advocate for the industry.
“They should be defending against those NGOs and other forces externally—and sometimes it’s other countries—who like to spread misinformation, or tell pretty important and detrimental fibs about our sector,” explained Wall. “But then they should also be about promoting the opening of new markets.”
Another interesting exploration sought to define the role of federal and provincial governments when speaking on behalf of agriculture.
“Whoever the federal government is in Canada, whoever the federal agriculture minister is, they got to worry about it all,” Wall said. “They got to worry about every agri-food product that comes out of this country and imagine the diversity of that job. I think the difference is that the provincial governments and our provincial government can focus on our agriculture. And I know they do that when they’re negotiating our part of agri-stability, or when they’re at the table when we’re trying to develop new risk mitigation products, new crop insurance products. It’s about Saskatchewan.”
Agriculture today
Given his unique perspective, Wall was asked about the role of agriculture today and the changes in mindset from producers.
“The role of agriculture today, maybe more than ever, is that we continue to find and use our voice,” he said. “Agriculture has always been a source for policy development, political parties were sort of born out of agrarian movements in this province as well. So I think there’s always been a ready connection and an effective connection between farmers and policymaking. All sides of the spectrum. So that needs to continue. And I’m not sure we all recognize how important agriculture is.”
Wall noted the importance of a theme stressed throughout the Canada Farm Show, that of telling our own story…before someone else does. A prime example he chose was the cautionary tale of Canadian oil, and how in 20 years, that product went from having a fine reputation to one that’s been tainted globally as ‘dirty oil’.
“How could this happen?” Wall asked. How could we get to the point where our oil can be branded thusly, and we can’t get a pipeline built in this country? Well, that did happen. It absolutely happened. Now, we got about a $30 billion pipeline—it’s the only one that we’re gonna get built. The government had to nationalize it. So is there a lesson for us in agriculture? Yes, there is.
“The NGOs that help brand Canadian oil thusly, they don’t much like what we do in agriculture,” he continued. “If they don’t like modern agriculture, they got similar issues that I don’t think are well founded. They’re not founded on fact, and come from an environmental perspective, but we all know the attacks that come on agriculture in the name of climate change.”
To further illustrate his point—and in the same breath, provide a solid case of agriculture and environment working in tandem—Wall used the example of the change from plastic straws to paper ones in the name of saving the oceans.
“The case could easily be made that an ecosystem right in our backyard is at greater risk than some of the oceanic ecosystems for which we now sacrifice the ability to drink a milkshake,” he said. “And that is the grasslands.”
Some estimates note that only 14 per cent of native grasslands remain in the province, but even that seemingly tiny number has a mighty impact, responsible for two million tons of carbon dioxide sequestration.
“If you’re worried about an ecosystem, you should be asking how is this grasslands ecosystem preserved? Well, there’s one reason for grass, and that’s to feed a cow,” Wall said, noting that with the near extinction of plains bison, cattle have taken on the role of grazing. “If you want to use a paper straw to save the ocean ecosystem, God bless you. If you’d like to save the grasslands have a burger.”
However, he noted the current generation of producers are doing a much better job of spreading the truth about agriculture.
“I think we are advocating better,” Wall said. “I think our trade associations, our discussions like we’re having today, I think we are doing a much better job of advocating for public policy.”
Near the conclusion of the coffee chat, Jolly-Nagel asked Wall for an update on the ranch.
“What’s next for you, and is it cowboy poetry,” she joked. “That was my prediction!”
“Well, we got a branding on Friday at a friend’s,” Wall began, adding that the consulting business and ranch life keeps him busy. “Although, I think Colter said something like, ‘really, you’re going to be a silent partner after 18 years of politics?’ But I do like to show up, especially if it’s horseback work.”
Fencing apparently gets the former premier kicked off the jobsite.
“I showed up for fencing once. He (Colter) said, ‘you know, if you’re just going to come and shoot gophers, you might as well stay home’!”
As many folks living in the southwest are prone to do, Wall spoke of the beauty of the Cypress Hills region.
“We’ve made just great friends, and we’re very grateful to still be in the southwest corner of the province, but really in the southwest corner over in the Cypress Hills where the West’s definitely still wild!”
