The Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is in Saskatchewan today. Heath MacDonald will be spending time today at the University of Saskatchewan and will visit the Western College of Veterinary Medicine as well as Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization (VIDO). He is also making a site visit at K+S Potash today.

Tomorrow the agriculture minister will take part in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Cargill Regina Canola Processing Facility.

He will also meet with his provincial counterpart, David Marit, and hold stakeholder consultations.

This is Minister MacDonald’s third visit to Saskatchewan.

Meanwhile, the federal government’s defence minister will be in Moose Jaw today to provide an update on the future of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.

This comes after Moose Jaw-Lake Centre Lanigan MP Fraser Tolmie broke the news of the federal government’s plan to push pause on the Moose Jaw-based 431 Air Demonstration Squadron.

“Without offering a clear explanation, Prime Minister Carney is prepared to erase that proud legacy by cancelling the Snowbirds without providing a replacement, making it even harder to recruit the men and women our armed forces urgently need,” said Tolmie in a prepared statement on Thursday.

According to Tolmie, the Snowbirds were not booking shows for the 2027 air show season.

Minister of Defence David McGuinty issued a statement saying, “The Royal Canadian Air Force is incredibly proud of the women and men who, for decades, have represented the Canadian Armed Forces with pride at airshows across North America and around the world.” He added, “Canadians can rest assured that they will be able to enjoy the Iconic Snowbird formation for generations to come.”

The minister also said that work is currently underway between the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces on the future of the CT 114 fleet and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the fleet’s sole operator. More information will be provided today.

(with files from discoverMooseJaw.com)