Welcoming Alberta’s New Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation – Tara Sawyer
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Honourable Tara Sawyer
Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation
Legislature Building
10800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2B6
May 25, 2026
Dear Minister Sawyer,
On behalf of Alberta Canola, I extend our sincere congratulations on your appointment as
Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. As a farmer and former director, you bring a
unique understanding of cropping issues and priorities that will serve your agricultural
stakeholders well.
Agriculture remains the backbone of Alberta’s rural economy by supporting economic
growth, rural communities, investment, and food security across our province and beyond.
Alberta Canola appreciates the Government of Alberta’s continued recognition of
agriculture as a strategic economic driver for the province. Alberta’s canola industry alone
contributes around $12 billion annually to the provincial economy and supports thousands
of jobs across the value chain. We are confident your leadership and commitment to the
agriculture sector will help strengthen opportunities for producers and rural communities
across Alberta.
We look forward to working collaboratively with you and your department on issues
important to Alberta’s canola growers, including market access, value-added processing,
biofuels development, regulatory competitiveness, transportation and trade infrastructure,
research and innovation, and ensuring long-term profitability and resilience for farmers.
In particular, we would like to meet with you soon to discuss canola’s domestic
diversification priorities. Canola is at a crossroads and needs to position itself to be more
resilient in the future. The industry needs to expand its domestic utilization through
increased crushing and to build government support for biofuels, which will use significant
volumes canola oil as a feedstock. This will lessen our dependence on volatile
international markets while creating value here in Alberta and Canada.
We value the strong relationship between Alberta Canola and the Government of Alberta
and seek to further strengthen that relationship with you at the helm. Congratulations once
again on your appointment, and we wish you every success in your new role.
Sincerely,
Andre Harpe
Chair, Board of Directors
Alberta Canola