Results of the producer plebiscite show that Prairie farmers want to keep the Canadian Wheat Board. It's time to listen.
Federal court rules government broke law by denying farmer vote on CWB
December 7, 2011
Ottawa - The chair of the CWB's farmer-controlled
board of directors is calling on the federal government to respect
today's federal court ruling that the Minister for the CWB acted
illegally in denying Prairie farmers a vote on the CWB.
"We call on Minister Ritz to comply with the spirit of this ruling
and immediately cease actions that would strip away Prairie farmers'
single-desk marketing system without first allowing a vote by affected
producers," Allen Oberg said from Ottawa, where he is preparing to
address a Senate committee tomorrow, asking senators to halt passage of
Bill C-18. The legislation, if passed, would enable the government to
dismantle the CWB single desk for western Canadian wheat and barley,
without first having held a producer plebiscite as required under
Section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act.
The ruling issued today by Justice Douglas Campbell of the Federal
Court of Canada agreed with the CWB that the Minister broke the law by
failing to consult with the CWB board of directors and hold a vote among
producers before taking steps to dismantle the single desk.
"The change process is threatening and should be approached with
caution," the judge wrote in his decision. "Generally speaking, when
advancing a significant change to an established management scheme, the
failure to provide a meaningful opportunity for dissenting voices to be
heard and accommodated forces resort to legal means to have them
heard....Had a meaningful consultative process been engaged to find a
solution which meets the concerns of the majority, the present legal
action might not have been necessary."
The ruling has been posted on the CWB's Web site at www.cwb.ca , under "Hot Topics" and "Legal Challenges".
Don't let Harper steamroll western Canadian wheat farmers. 
