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Kenney promises to axe, replace rules on farm employment, injury compensation

Mar 12, 2019 | 3:42 PM

RIMBEY, AB — Alberta Opposition Leader Jason Kenney is promising to repeal legislation that ensures workplace safety and employment standards for farms and injury coverage for farm workers.

Kenney says if his United Conservative party wins the upcoming election, it would consult with farmers and ranchers and bring in legislation that ensures basic safety standards while providing more flexibility for injury coverage.

He says the proposed legislation, to be called the Farm Freedom and Safety Act, would be passed before the end of the year.

Premier Rachel Notley’s NDP government brought in rules mandating employment standards for farms and making farm workers eligible for workers’ compensation should they be hurt on the job.

The rules apply only to paid farm workers and not to farm family members, and provide flexibility on standards and working conditions tailored to farm and ranch work.

Nevertheless, Kenney says farmers were not consulted properly and still face daunting increases in costs due to the workplace rules and to higher fees such as the province’s carbon tax.