CWB board chair comments on federal government approach to future of grain marketing
by Allen Oberg, Canadian Wheat Board (CWB)
The Canadian grain industry is at the brink of a major upheaval.
Legislation will soon be tabled to destroy the Canadian Wheat Board.
This morning, many of you heard Minister Ritz rejoicing about this. I am
here to tell you that the farmers of Western Canada are not rejoicing.
We are, in fact, fearful for the future.
This government has no plan. It has done no analysis. It has not even
consulted farmers. Its approach is based solely on a blind commitment
to a sound-bite phrase called "marketing freedom".
Yet, here we are, barrelling ahead on a timeline that will rip
apart a 75-year-old marketing system in a matter of months, and hamper
any potential successor organization.
Listen to the Webcast of this news conference
This government's reckless approach will throw Canada's grain
industry into disarray. It will jeopardize a $5 billion export sector.
It will shift money from the pockets of Canadian farmers into the hands
of American corporations.
Canada is the last country left in the world where giant
multinational grain companies cannot source wheat. If the Wheat Board's
single desk is abolished, that will change. We will see a fundamental
shift of marketing power and wealth away from Prairie farmers and into
the hands of huge foreign-based corporations.
For no reason, beyond an ideological crusade, the government will
hand the Americans what they want on a silver platter, and get nothing
in return. We will see the Americanization of our grain marketing and
grain quality systems. And farmers will be the big losers.
At a time when the world's economy is shaky, our government is
removing a system that provides financial stability and premium grain
profits for Prairie farmers. And it is doing so against their wishes,
without even consulting them.
Minister Ritz and Prime Minister Harper would like you to believe
that this is a done deal. They would like farmers to simply give up and
accept the inevitable. But I am here to tell you that this is NOT over.
We cannot, in good conscience, give up this fight.
The government's approach is illegal, it is against the wishes of
farmers and it is harmful to the economic interests of Canada. We will
fight this in Ottawa, we will fight it in the courts and in the court of
public opinion.
This government is trampling over the decisions of farmers and
ignoring their democratic rights. The Prime Minister said last week that
his train will run over anyone who disagrees with his plans or gets in
his way. That obviously includes the Prairie farmers, who voted against
his plan for the Wheat Board. This is nothing but contempt for farmers
and contempt for democracy.
We fear that this pattern of government behaviour will continue when
the legislation is tabled. Instead of broad consultation with farmers
and a fullsome debate, the Minister is indicating that measures will be
invoked to limit debate and remove opportunities for farmer and public
consultation.
Once this change is made, there is no going back. NAFTA is clear.
Once the CWB is dismantled, it cannot be recreated. This fundamental
change cannot be revisited. Surely that calls for careful deliberation
by Parliament before proceeding.
We continue to stand up for farmers - it is we as farmers that have
the right to decide this issue. It should not be the government's call.
Farmers pay for the CWB, they run it, they should decide what happens to
it. Our plebiscite results, which were released last month, clearly
show that most Prairie farmers are opposed to removing the CWB single
desk. The government has ignored them.
The federal government is abdicating its responsibility to farmers.
They have done no analysis of the effect their decision will have on
farmers and Canada's grain industry. We sent crucial business
information to them in July, but have yet to receive any meaningful
reply. Canada's milling and baking industries have also expressed
concerns. The government either doesn't know or doesn't care about the
harm this will cause, as they push ahead with an extremely hasty and
unrealistic timeline.
Majority governments do not eliminate the need to consult and to
listen. They do not confer absolute power. We have a government that is
ignoring the laws of the land, ignoring the clearly expressed wishes of
farmers and running roughshod over people for reasons they won't make
clear.
Whenever the government is asked about its vision for the future,
they try to push the onus back on the Canadian Wheat Board. They rely on
vague media lines about "free markets" and "marketing freedom". It
sounds good, but nobody really knows what it means.
I encourage you to insist on meaningful explanations and clear
answers. I encourage farmers to stand up for their rights and demand
that their wishes be respected. And I urge all Canadians to stand up for
fairness and democracy... from a government that seems to believe these
things don't matter anymore.
