Canada's Productivity Initiative: Saskatoon
Agriculture, Energy, Minerals
Marquis Event Centre | January 21, 2026
Saskatoon
About the Session
Strengthening productivity in the agricultural and resource sectors is vital for a prosperous future for Canada but it will only happen with government policies that support innovation, infrastructure and sustainability. With tariff wars disrupting global agriculture markets and the U.S. takeover of Venezuela's oil industry reverberating across Canada's energy sector this session is particularly timely as Canada addresses its economic and trade polices in a rapidly changing world.
Why attend?
Join business and public policy leaders in Saskatoon on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, for a half-day event as part of a national initiative to work collaboratively with industry, government, and academia to implement solutions addressing these long-standing issues undermining Canada’s prosperity.
Hosted at the University of Saskatchewan’s Marquis Event Centre, this half-day session is part of Canada’s Productivity Initiative led by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy in collaboration with the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina.
This event includes keynote addresses and panel discussions on the policy options to strengthen productivity, facilitate adoption of innovative technology and support sustainable development.
Marquis Events Centre
97 Campus Dr, Saskatoon, SK S7N 4L3
"Productivity in the agricultural sector has flatlined. While farming expenditures continue to rise, crop production and profit margins have decreased. Panellists attributed this to the outdated “Old MacDonald” assumptions held by policy-makers at all levels of government, which means policies don’t address the needs of today’s often larger and more complex farms. "
-- Excerpt from the What We Heard Report from Canada’s Productivity Summit.
Canada’s Productivity Initiative: Saskatoon is presented by the School of Public Policy in partnership with the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina.
Featured Speakers
Robert (RJ) Johnston
Director of Energy and Natural Resources Policy, School of Public Policy
Trevor Tombe
Professor, University of Calgary’s Department of Economics and Director of Fiscal and Economic Policy, School of Public Policy
Tim McMillan
Founding Partner, Garrison Strategy (former CAPP President and CEO; former SK Minister of Energy)
William (Bill) Greuel
Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Government of Saskatchewan
Tom Kishchuk
Executive Director, Global Institute for Energy, Minerals & Society
Sean Willy
CEO, Des Nedhe Group
Tyler McCann
Managing Director, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute
Dale Leftwich
Policy Manager, SaskOilseeds
Stuart Smyth
Professor, Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan
Alastair MacFadden
Assistant Deputy Minister, Prairies Economic Development Canada
Greg Poelzer
Professor, School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan
Tristan Skolrud
Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan
Kirk Brecht
Executive Director, Mineral Policy, Resource Development Division, Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources
More speakers coming soon...
More speakers coming soon...
Saskatoon Session
Agriculture, Energy, Minerals
January 21, 2026
12:00 - 5:30 CST (Central Standard Time)
This event brings together leading policy experts and industry stakeholders to examine how Canada's energy and resource sectors can drive national productivity growth. The discussion will explore concrete policy pathways to enhance competitiveness, strengthen investment conditions, and leverage Western Canada's resource advantages in a rapidly evolving global economy.
Canada's Natural Resources: Building Resiliency in Turbulent Times
Canada's energy, mineral, agricultural, and forest sectors are facing a range of pressures at home and abroad. These pressures, particularly external geopolitical and trade tensions, are driving action at home. Building resiliency in our natural resources sector will require deregulation and unleashing the market in some areas, and greater government intervention in others. Striking this balance across regions, projects, and sectors will not be easy but will be essential to our continued prosperity and national resilience.
Speaker
- Robert (RJ) Johnston, Director of Energy Policy, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary
Resources and Productivity
How resource companies can drive productivity growth in Canada, balancing innovation, infrastructure, and sustainability.
Moderator
- Greg Poelzer, Professor, School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan
Panellists
- Tom Kishchuk, Executive Director, Global Institute for Energy, Minerals & Society
- Sean Willy, President & Chief Executive Officer of Des Nedhe Group
- Kirk Brecht, Executive Director of Mineral Policy and Resource Development at the Ministry of Energy and Resources
The talk will assess Canadian agriculture productivity over time and how do we compare to our competitors. It will explore aspects of total factor productivity including climate and land quality, technology advancement, market access, government policies and availability of labour, culture factors. The talk will focus mostly on primary production but will make connections to how value added processing and downstream innovations can influence overall productivity of the sector.
Speaker
- Bill Greuel, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Government of Saskatchewan
Agriculture and Productivity
Technological innovation, environmental constraints, and trade policy challenges shaping agricultural productivity.
Moderator
- Tristan Skolrud, College of Agriculture and Bioresources
Panellists
- Tyler McCann, Managing Director, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute
- Dale Leftwich, Policy Manager, SaskOilseeds
- Stuart Smyth, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan
- Alastair MacFadden, Assistant Deputy Minister, Prairies Economic Development Canada
Synthesis of panel and keynote takeaways; Path forward for collaboration and policy impact
"Improving the productivity of Canada’s agricultural sector requires policy changes that address efficiency, scale and innovation. Policies that enhance access to management and advisory services can empower farmers to adopt best practices, optimize operations and reduce inefficiencies. To scale up production, particularly for smaller farms, policies should focus on lowering capital costs and providing financial incentives to promote growth and competitiveness in domestic and global markets. "
-- Excerpt from the What We Heard Report from Canada’s Productivity Summit.
Contact Us
If you have any further questions, please contact our team and one of our members will get back to you as soon as possible.
General Event Info
productivity@ucalgary.ca
Media Inquiries
Gord Der Stepanian
gord.derstepanian@ucalgary.ca