PROVIDING INPUT TO PROVINCIAL AGRICULTURE POLICY
One of the primary responsibilities of an Agricultural Service Board is to offer constructive
input to the process of developing provincial agricultural policy. There are several ways to
provide input to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
1.
Individual ASB members can contact the Minister via telephone, letter, or fax.
2.
The ASB can request a meeting with the Minister or draft a letter to provide advice or
discuss concerns.
3.
ASB’s can also initiate resolutions for the Minister’s consideration.
THE RESOLUTION PROCESS
Regional Agricultural Service Board meetings are held in each of the five agricultural areas
in October or November. Resolutions that are presented and supported by the majority
proceed in the following manner. Resolutions that are regional in scope are directed by the
hosting ASB to the appropriate regional authority for a response. Resolutions that are
provincial in scope are forwarded to the Provincial ASB Committee for presentation at the
Provincial ASB Conference.
The Provincial ASB Committee, which is comprised of elected ASB members from each of
the five agricultural regions, meet in November to discuss, amend, and group similar
resolutions in an appropriate sequence for presentation to the Provincial Conference.
The Provincial ASB Conference will debate resolutions that were carried and sent forward
from the five regional meetings. The Provincial ASB Conference is usually held in late
January or early February of the following year. The resolutions that are carried at this
conference will then be forwarded by the Provincial ASB Committee to the appropriate
agency or department for a response.
These agencies and departments will provide a response to the Provincial ASB Committee
by June.
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