Saskatchewan municipalities association calls for rural lens in federal policy making
‘A formal rural lens should be applied across federal policy, spending, and program delivery so that geography, fiscal capacity, and economic contribution are considered from the outset,’ says the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. / ISTOCK PHOTO
To properly power Canada’s food security, trade and resource economy, the federal government must address the challenges facing rural communities, says the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM).
“A formal rural lens should be applied across federal policy, spending, and program delivery so that geography, fiscal capacity, and economic contribution are considered from the outset,” SARM wrote in its 2026 pre-budget submission to the House of Commons Finance committee. “This approach would improve outcomes across infrastructure, economic development, labour force programming, connectivity, public safety, and agriculture.”
One in three Saskatchewan residents live in a rural municipality, and SARM represents 296 municipalities across the province.
Rural communities play a vital role in Canada’s economy, producing food, fuel and critical minerals that other industries around the nation and globe rely on. In Saskatchewan, they support the province’s agriculture and resource economy, which contribute more than $80 billion to Canada’s GDP each year.
Despite these contributions, rural communities continue to face a lack of access to services and infrastructure for residents and industry. “Rural municipalities face different realities than large urban centres, including limited tax bases, aging infrastructure, labour shortages, public safety pressures, and persistent broadband and cellular coverage gaps,” said SARM.
Support for rural industry needed
As the world increasingly turns to Canada as an energy supplier, rural Canada will need the tools and infrastructure to meet growing demand. SARM called for the federal government to support the construction of short-line railways to move products more efficiently. “A short line stream within the National Trade Corridors Fund, combined with support for routes such as the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay corridor, would reduce shipping times and costs for Prairie producers while strengthening national supply chains,” said the pre-budget submission.
Saskatchewan has more rural roads per capita than any region in the world, and, according to SARM, many of them are operating beyond their lifespan.
SARM recommends the federal government “establish dedicated rural infrastructure funding streams … designed to reflect the scale, capacity, and service delivery realities of small and rural municipalities.” SARM said this approach “would better align federal support with rural responsibilities and inflationary pressures.”
With an aging population, Canada’s rural communities are in particular need of young, skilled workers. The federal government has launched the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, incentivizing skilled workers to settle in rural areas; however, only one Saskatchewan municipality is included in the program.
To address the “persistent” shortage of labour in rural areas, SARM recommends the federal government “reinstate and strengthen the Canada–Saskatchewan Job Grant, with explicit eligibility for rural municipalities.”
