Close to one-thousand people braved the cold and filled the stands at the West Central Events Centre to show their support for the agriculture and oil sectors and hear from political figures and experts on Bill C-69, during the Ag and Oil Forum.

The speakers included MLA for Kindersley, Ken Francis; a spokesperson for actioncanada.ca, James Robson; Cypress Hills-Grasslands MP, David Anderson; founder and director of Suits and Boots, Rick Peterson; and the keynote speaker, researcher and writer, Vivian Krause.

Krause who is originally from Vancouver and made the trip for the event delivered a compelling presentation. She depicted the money-trail that has, from her research, funded the 10-year campaign aimed at de-marketing Canada’s energy industry labelled, Tar Sands Campaign.

Her evidence reveals the millions of dollars of investments from American foundations that she believes deliberately and systematically land-lock Canadian oil, in a calculated effort to drive investors away from Canadian oil and ensure the lowest price per barrel for American buyers.

The findings Krause presented is the result of a decade of research with new details emerging as she continues to look for answers to the questions that are plaguing the energy sector. She used the word monopoly to describe the current issues surrounding Canadian oil, as in, the lengths the United States has gone and will continue to go, to ensure they have a monopoly on Canadian oil.

Peterson in conjunction with Robson gave the attendees clear action steps to have their voices heard on the matter. Robson works closely with debunking popular myths that have seemingly demonized the oil sands and labelled them as, dirty oil.

Peterson stated the next 90 days are the most crucial, as Bill C-69’s fate currently sits in the hands of the Senate. He boastfully encouraged attendees to call the Senators, who will be deciding where they travel within Canada to hear from the citizens regarding thoughts and concerns surrounding the bill and urged residents to rally for Kindersley to be on the itinerary.

Anderson, who has been passionate in his opposition of the bill, outlined the effects the bill would have not only on the oil and agriculture industry but in every industry and sector as the trickle-down effect is inevitable.

Francis who was the opening speaker shared that his attendance was a no-brainer. He discussed how vital both oil and agriculture is to our region and his intentions are clear on the matter, in the best interest of residents of Saskatchewan and Canada, the bill must be stopped.

The consensus from all speakers was that it is a time to be proud of, and fight for, the resources that are not only vital to Saskatchewan and Alberta, but to the country as a whole.