When Premier Roy Romanow of the New Democratic Party government refused to put any more money on the table, more than 30 farmers bunked down in the legislature's cafeteria. "He's expecting everybody here to go home today and go home with nothing. We're not giving up," said Joanne Brochu, a Colonsay farmer who helped organize the protest.

In addition, two women participating in the sit-in began a hunger strike. Lillian Kurtz, a Stockholm-area farmer, began to fast at 8:00 a.m. February 7. She was joined six hours later by Diane Cropp from Gerald. Going on a hunger strike "is my way of saying: Pay attention, I'm not going to die quickly," Cropp said. She also explained that she had gotten the idea from seeing coverage on the hunger strike by striking Cape Breton coal miners occupying the Prince mine in Nova Scotia on Canada's east coast in order to win an improved pension plan for the mine's 1,100 workers.

As word of the sit-in began to spread, more farmers from all over Saskatchewan arrived to participate. Darcy Koppelchuk, a Canora-area farmer, was driving his taxi--his off-farm job--when he heard the news. He left later that afternoon to join the protesters sleeping on the cafeteria's cement floor.  
 

Worst crisis since the 1930s

Over the past year and a half, Saskat-chewan farmers have organized a series of protests to demand aid. In November 1998, 1,000 farmers rallied in Rosedale; in March and June of 1999 rallies of at least 1,000 were organized in Regina. At the beginning of August farmers organized roadblocks in different parts of the province. On August 17 a tractorcade of some 1,000 farmers tied up the streets of Regina. Most recently, more than 3,500 farmers rallied in Saskatoon January 29 demanding aid from both the federal and provincial governments.

These actions have been organized by several ad-hoc groups because of the failure of the traditional farm organizations to organize a response to the deepening crisis farmers are facing.

These groups include the Pro-West Rally Group formed a year ago, formerly called the Bengough Rally Group, which organized last summer's protests, and the Saskatchewan Rally Group, formed in October. The latter is demanding $3 billion in aid for the province's farmers.

The Saskatchewan Federation of Labor has called on the federal government to immediately provide at least $1 billion in disaster relief to Saskatchewan farm families. Members of the Saskatchewan Rally Group are currently in Ottawa pressing the federal government for more aid. Protesters at the February 7 rally carried signs giving the group's efforts "100% support."

Figures released by the federal ministry of agriculture this January reveal the depth of the catastrophe farmers are facing. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada estimates realized net income for Saskatchewan farmers for 1999 will be $96 million, down from the five-year average of $740 million--an 87 per cent drop. Federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief's department had predicted in October that net farm income would be between $300 and $400 million. These were the figures used by Prime Minister Jean Chretien to justify turning down requests for aid from Premier Romanow last fall.

For years farmers have been told they should diversify in order to survive. In addition to growing many different crops and raising livestock, many farmers have jobs off the farm. Gerald Faye said he "rents out his cement mixer and does just about anything he can to make a dollar, but it's still not enough to make a living."

Farmers are angry at the fact that the only money the provincial government has said it might pay to farmers is the $114 million it will get by withdrawing from the federal Agricultural Income Disaster Assistance program. This would amount to approximately $2,000 for each of the province's 55,000 farmers. "Two thousand dollars might buy a few groceries and pay a repair bill but it certainly isn't going to address the seriousness of the problem," said Arlynn Kurtz, a sit-in leader.

Some farmers brought their children to the protest. Ashley MacKenzie, age 12 from Langenburg, and April Heck, age 9 from Penzance, said they hoped that the protests "make a difference by opening the eyes of people from the city about what's happening to farmers." Ashley said she would like to take over her dad's farm but is not sure about the future "because the prices we get are too low to cover our costs."

Not all protesters were confident of getting a positive response from working people in the city. "I work in the city, and people aren't that supportive. They say, 'Aren't farmers businessmen? If they can't be successful, they should just go under,'" said Charlene Lang from Colonsay.

But protesters are determined to stay until they get results. "I'm not leaving here until we get something," Glen Glidden from the Raymore area told the Regina Leader-Post. "Once we're in here, we decided not to leave. We've got to get some sort of movement," said Louis Le Blanc.

Beverly Bernardo is a laid-off member of the United Food and Commercial Workers union in Vancouver. Annette Kouri contributed to this article.  
 
 
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