Rural Municipalities work hard by themselves, but when together, especially on common issues, a unified voice goes a long way to moving those issues forward.
That's the general theme of speeches made by Bill Huber, President of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), and Rebecca Bligh, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) at the SARM Annual Convention & Trade Show Tuesday afternoon.
During his speech, Huber listed examples of issues R.M.s were able to advance and how SARM played a supporting role, such as the call to reinstate strychnine to control the Richardson Ground Squirrel population. Strychnine was banned by Health Canada in 2024.
"For a long time, it felt like we were shouting into the wind. Now, thanks to your persistence, there are meaningful conversations happening at both the federal and provincial levels. That shift didn't happen by accident. It happened because rural Saskatchewan refused to drop the issue and kept pushing the importance of strychnine." Huber told the crowd at the Bunge International Trade Centre.
Second was lobbying for funding of infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and broadband internet with Huber calling them "nation-building infrastructure".
"And we're finally seeing some acknowledgement of that in program design. But the dollars, timelines and rules still don't match the scale of what you're responsible for and we're not letting up until they do." he added.
Third was public safety. On the topic, Huber said their "message is starting to be heard. Rural communities need protection from repeat offenders and illegal guns. Not more red tape for law-abiding firearm owners. We've seen some movement in the right direction, but not nearly enough, and we will keep pressing until the focus is firmly on criminals. Not on the people trying to live and work safely in rural Saskatchewan."
On agriculture, he described agriculture as "the life-blood of rural Saskatchewan" and "the heart" of Canada's food security and economic strength. But when producers are under pressure from drought, inflation, volatile markets, and rising crop input costs "a whole community feels it", he added.
"That's why in 2026, SARM will be pushing hard for practical support that actually reaches the farm gate."
Stronger business risk management programs, investment in research in technology, and training and education measures to address labour shortages are some of the agricultural priorities Huber mentioned.
"Every one of these asks is about protecting the people who feed this province and this country and about keeping our rural communities alive."
Huber concluded his speech by saying what gives him confidence is resilience shown by R.M.s to fight for change on familiar issues, even when it feels tiresome.
"If you're not at the table, you're on the menu"
President of FCM Rebecca Bligh spoke to delegates on the importance of consistent advocacy work when meeting with all levels of government.
She used the phrase "if you're not at the table, you're on the menu" to emphasize the point.
"It seems like there's a constant stream of new concerns and important developments competing for our attention. However, it's in times like these that our collective voice can cut through the noise and focus on what really matters. We have a choice to meet this moment together and local governments are doing just that.
"Municipalities are stepping up to strengthen Canada's economic resilience to support our national defence and keep our international trade moving. Every product, every resource that moves through this country depends on municipal roads, infrastructure and services. The farms, mines and businesses that span Saskatchewan and contribute to our national prosperity rely so heavily on municipal water, bridges, roads, transit and so much more. And it's municipalities that keep Canada open for business every single day."
An example she shared was FCM meeting with federal ministers, including Secretary of State of Rural Development Buckley Belanger, about renewing aging infrastructure and making municipalities economically resilient, and improving public safety.
"And these priorities are vital because as municipalities step up to the plate for our national economic prosperity, we're being asked to carry an increasingly heavy load. Movement on these needs and the priorities of rural Saskatchewan remain at the core of our advocacy. And that said, we are making sure to build on and follow through on recent wins, like the federal bail reform and on the drawdown of Chinese tariffs on canola.
And on that, our FCM board meeting in St. John's (Newfoundland) just last week passed a resolution recommending compensatory payments for those affected by canola tariffs. We're also prepared to advocate on emerging issues like the closure of vital agriculture research centres which our Saskatchewan based board members have brought forward. And there is still more work ahead and we continue to push on those issues."
She concluded her speech by encouraging delegates to attend FCM's Annual Conference coming up June 4-7 in Edmonton. The theme of the conference is "building the future together".
