Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has been called out with allegations of his agents for trespassing by federal agents on private property.
“We’re still unsure which federal department they’re a part of, but they actually were taking samples out of a private dugout and when approached and queried as to why they were there, they said that they were checking for pesticide residues and nitrates,” Cockrill told CTV News.
Cockrill said that people in the communities of Mossbank, Pilot Butte, and Pense have reported to the provincial government that government agents were on their private property without consent from owners.
“When approached by producers, these employees indicated that they were testing water sources for pesticide/nitrate levels. The lands and water body, a producer’s dugout, are both privately owned. Government of Canada representatives did not request permission to enter from the landowner, nor did they seek to perform testing or advise landowners of any other purpose.” Cockrill, the provincial minister for the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency said in a letter.
The Trudeau Liberal government has amped up it’s rhetoric and began to wage war on farmers and residents of Canada with a plan to force farmers to cut back on their use of nitrogen fertilizer to produce smaller crops, less food supply, just so Trudeau can try to meet his climate targets despite warnings from industry experts.
Cockrill’s posted on Facebook “We are demanding an explanation from federal Minister Steven Guilbeault on why his department is trespassing on private land without the owners’ permission to take water samples from dugouts. We have received reports of this occurring in several places throughout our province.
“We have advised the federal government that this should cease immediately and if it does not, it will be considered a violation of the province’s Trespass Act.”
He warns, “Violating this Act is serious, including a maximum penalty of $25,000 for repeat offenders, up to six months imprisonment following a conviction for a first or subsequent trespass offence, and a $200,000 maximum penalty for any corporation that counsels and/or aids in the commission of that offence.”
Cockrill says it is “too convenient” the federal government is overstepping its jurisdiction with federal agents testing the water for nitrates and “also talking about fertilizer emissions as well.”
“On a provincial level, it’s concerning because previously the federal government has told our government that on water-related issues, they will work in collaboration with us. For producers, trying to get the crop off and into the bin, and then you have black Suburbans rolling around their farms without proper notice,” he told CTV News.
Cockrill and Premier Scott Moe and demanding an explanation from the federal government as to why there has been no communication of their activities.
His office, the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) ” is also looking into the other two locations, though have found no record of them so far,” the minister’s office said. “No nitrates or other nutrients are being sampled as part of these sampling activities,” the statement said. “ECCC us reviewing sampling protocols to ensure they are consistent with area laws before doing any further sampling.”
If you need to report an incident of trespassing on private land you can call 1-855-559-5502.
