Liberals Introduce Legislation to Boost Farmers’ Control over Canadian Wheat Board

Liberals Introduce Legislation to Boost Farmers’ Control over Canadian Wheat Board

January 31, 2008
OTTAWA – The Liberal Opposition today introduced a private member’s bill to reinforce farmers’ democratic control over the operations and jurisdiction of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).

“Through two painful years of Conservative government, Stephen Harper has used every dirty trick in the book to impose his mean-spirited, right-wing ideology on prairie farmers,” said Manitoba MP Ray Simard who sponsored the bill.

“Mr. Harper has ignored the law, the courts, and Parliament – resorting instead to gag orders, threats, firings, stacked appointments, propaganda, and a grossly manipulated plebiscite to try and kill the Wheat Board. By contrast, this bill stands up for farmers and their democratic rights.”

Mr. Simard’s bill accomplishes three broad objectives. It:

• requires the government to consult the CWB Board of Directors before the government makes any significant policy decisions involving the Wheat Board;

• reduces the number of government appointees to the CWB 15-member Board of Directors from five to three – including the President. The CWB’s 10 farmer-elected directors would be empowered to name the other two appointees; and

• strengthens the existing provisions in Canadian Wheat Board Act which requires that changes to the CWB’s marketing jurisdiction must be made through legislation approved by Parliament, and such legislation must be preceded by both consultations with the CWB and a legitimate vote among producers.

The bill also emphasizes that the CWB’s directors must be consulted on any legislation that makes changes to the Board’s jurisdiction in advance, and the producer vote must involve a clear, democratic, secret ballot on a specific question – not an abstract multiple choice survey about marketing philosophies.

Liberal Agriculture Critic and P.E.I. MP Wayne Easter vowed that Liberals will battle regressive Conservative measures to undermine the CWB and will push for speedy passage of Mr. Simard’s private member’s bill.

“Just this week the government announced its intent to introduce legislation to slowly gut the Wheat Board, without the consultation or the clear producer vote the existing law requires,” said Mr. Easter.

“The only big winners will be U.S. grain corporations and the railways. Farmers’ marketing clout will be destroyed.”

Liberal House Leader and Saskatchewan MP Ralph Goodale, a former minister responsible for the CWB, said the real issue is giving farmers the democratic control they want.

“Our basic point is simple. It doesn’t matter what politicians or bureaucrats think about grain marketing. What matters is what farmers think and want. And our legislation puts the final say in farmers’ hands,” said Mr. Goodale.

“This legislation strengthens democracy and producer control, and makes the CWB less vulnerable to the ideological whims of an abusive government that has shown it simply cannot be trusted.”

http://www.liberal.ca/story_13528_e.aspx