Minister Ritz on Freedom for Farmers in Leduc 1/11/11

[Tom4Wildrose]

Dear Charlie el al.;

We learned a great deal more today about CWB Minister Ritz's plans to make the CWB work for grain growers. His plans are heart warming, practical, and I believe effective to enhance the environment for marketing choice.

This is having an impact already. On delivering CPS at Cargil... and CWRS at Viterra... they have both been more generous on all points... it is like night and day when dealing with them. They truly are in the competition mode now... to have us deliver and grow what and barley for them in 2012. I am impressed that the spirit of competition is such a positive force RIGHT NOW! It is a real pleasure to sell both board and non-board grains!

Here is the text of part of Minister Ritz's speach.

Harper Government Working to Create More Opportunities for Farmers and the Economy

Leduc, Alberta, November 1, 2011 – The Harper Government is working to strengthen the Canadian cropping sector by maintaining and expanding market access and returning to Western grain farmers the right to market their wheat and barley in the best interest of their farm businesses.

"Our Government’s top priority is the economy, in which agriculture plays a vital role," said Minister Ritz during a speech to Alberta grain and special crop farmers today in Leduc. "We are committed to working with farmers and producers of Canada’s world class canola, pulses and grains to make sure they can continue to innovate and stay ahead of the curve in a competitive marketplace."

Minister Ritz reiterated the importance of market access and highlighted the shared accomplishments by Government and industry outlined in a recent market access report. The report shows that collaboration and coordination of market-access efforts and activities have resulted in reopened, maintained and expanded access for canola, wheat and pulses. For example, the report notes that transitional measures negotiated with China for canola seed exports have enabled farmers to maintain access worth in excess of $1.8 billion annually.

Once it receives Royal Assent, the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act will give Western Canadian farmers the right to sell their wheat, durum and barley as they choose. An open grain market will attract investment, encourage innovation, create value-added jobs, and build a stronger economy for all Canadians.

"Our Government is working to make sure that the future of wheat and barley farming is bright," said Minister Ritz. "The Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act will give Western Canadian grain farmers marketing freedom as well as new economic opportunities by encouraging investment, driving innovation and having more buyers bidding on their top quality grain."

Minister Ritz also reiterated the Government’s commitment to improving the effectiveness, efficiency and reliability of Canada’s rail freight supply chain and noted Transport Canada’s recent appointment of Jim Dinning to lead the facilitation process. This process will bring together shippers, railways and other key players to develop a template for service agreements and a streamlined commercial dispute resolution process.

Canada is the world’s fifth largest exporter of agriculture and food products with annual exports worth over $35 billion. Canada’s trade in agriculture and food products contributed more than $11 billion to our trade surplus.

For more information, media may contact:

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972

Meagan Murdoch
Director of Communications
The Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
http://www.agr.gc.ca/cb/index_e.php?s1=n&s2=2011&page=n111101a

[wd9]

"An open grain market will attract investment, encourage innovation, create value-added jobs, and build a stronger economy for all Canadians."

Now who wouldn't want that?

[freewheat]

I can think of 8 who are agianst that...

[wilagro]

I imagine that the bot flies will be attracted to the carcass of the old CWB in huge numbers. They are quite the opportunists in such circumstances.

[Tom4Wildrose]

Wilagro,

With the pools being backed by the gov. guarantee for 5 years and other grains possibly being added... I see that the CWB can grow even stronger and provide more value for Commercial grain growers.
Minister Ritz said the ships would not be a burden on the pool accounts but that the Canadian government would take care of them. The ships are tied up with such big cancelling penalties that we CDN taxpayers must put them in service and work the ships to recoup some of the value invested into them.

Jan 1 is the target for new CWB managers to take over.

The 5 year mandate allows the CWB to work through long term commitments now on the books.

Minister Ritz has a great positive outlook and is a pleasure to work with!

We are very fortunate to have our Ag Minister so knowledgable about western grains and one who really does try to put farmers first!

[agstar77]

Well at least some of the farmers will be first.

[bucket]

The government of canada should not be on the hook for buying the ships, the eight directors that made that decision should be. This is why we have the economic mess we have. Traders and managers never have to be responsible for their actions.

Look at the current MF global mess. The head of it will walk out with a multi million dollar package and he is the guy that should be broke not his customers.

Same holds with the boats. Oberg fought a director election and not once was the purchase of the boats brought up.

No Tom, the rogue directors that spent our money by hiding the facts should be the ones paying, not the government

[Tom4Wildrose]

Ag Minister Gerry Ritz speaks to members of the Alberta Grain and Special Crops Industry

D’ARCY HILGARTNER: Thank you, Leo. At this point, we are grateful to have with us today the Agriculture Minister who has a vision who looks well beyond this harvest and into the future. Most of us already know him very well, and I’d like to formally introduce the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board.

(Applause)

GERRY RITZ (Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada): Thank you, D’Arcy, and thank you, Leo, and I’ve often started off these events by saying my title’s too long. Which part should I get rid of? Clearly it’s unanimous as to which one it is. It’s not the agri food stuff either. But thank you, Leo, for that rundown on everything that we’ve been doing together.

You know, when I listen to the long list, and it is an impressive list, because we work with industry. We don’t get out ahead of you, we don’t go behind you, we don’t push, we don’t pull. We work with industry. We’ve had the great opportunity to do that around the world, and I start to realize why I feel tired some days. But it’s been great to see this industry recognized on the world stage for the quality and consistency of supply, that Canada alone can actually continue to produce.

And I’m also pleased that you folks take time out of your busy schedules. I know the weather is starting to get… you know, the days are tricking us a little more, a little bit of snow last night as a teaser as to what’s to come. But I really want to thank you for being here today to discuss with us again and give us some more clearer, concise marching orders as we move forward into this winter and spring session, the travel that we’ll be doing.

As you know, Canadian wheat, canola, pulses, barley and other grains are known by our customers around the world for their unrivalled consistency and quality. That’s not the work of government. It’s not the work of the Wheat Board. It’s not the work of bureaucrats or administrators. It’s your job, and you’ve done a great job making sure that quality and consistency continues to be there. And that will continue to be there whether there’s a single desk Wheat Board or not.

It’s the fruits of your labour, and, you know, your inputs, your costs, it’s your business decisions that have generated that quality and consistency, and other groups have capitalized on that and will continue to because it’s easy to market top quality product. I’m here to tell you it’s not hard to walk into a mill, whether it’s in Jakarta, Indonesia or in Europe, and talk about Canadian quality. They all get it. They all understand it.

On a yearly basis, you as Canadian farmers earn about 16 billion dollars from grain production. And as you well know, Canada’s the world’s largest producer and exporter of peas, lentils, and a top five player in peas and beans. Overall grains are Canada’s top agricultural export, and the money from that keeps Canada’s economy humming, even through recessions that we are still struggling with. And as Leo outlined, a lot of the forces come to bear outside of our control, but agriculture is always one of the stabilizing effects.

You sustain employment in rural communities and throughout the grain value chain, from farm inputs and equipment suppliers to the elevators to transporters and processors. Like you, our government knows that when you can earn a living from the marketplace, your farm businesses are much more sustainable and ultimately more profitable. That’s why the government is proud to promote Canada’s high quality crops in that growing marketplace and around the world.

Soon after we formed government, we sat down with your industry leadership, as Leo outlined, and identified your top market priorities. Then we hit the road. We developed the Market Access Secretariat, and with you we’ve opened and reopened markets around the world.

The Secretariat has kept us all rowing in one direction, helping to build stronger ties between industry and many government departments involved, both federally and provincially. Last week, I was pleased to release a report that highlighted a lot of the accomplishments in the first 15 months of the Market Access Secretariat and the great work it’s done along with you in promoting your industry.

For instance, we’ve agreed in principle on phyto-sanitary agreement with India that will continue to secure our pulse business there, which averages over 400 million dollars a year. We’re working on a comprehensive trade agreement with India to grow our partnership even further.

In China we’ve secured almost 2 billion dollars in canola sales, thanks to a temporary agreement that we’ve just renewed again, and we reached an agreement to remove the maximum limit for selenium in foods imported by China, a move which will really boost our 100 million dollar trade in pulses into the Chinese market. We’re doing other exciting things in China too by blending pulses into their noodles and so, and giving them some fibre and some protein in that new content.

In the United States, we’re thrilled that the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA as it’s lovingly known, has approved a Canadian petition, which will significantly expand opportunities for Canadian canola exports for the U.S. biodiesel production. The Canadian canola industry estimates that that market will be worth up to 450 million dollars a year.

In Indonesia, we achieved recognition of our world-class food safety systems, clearing the way for continued wheat sales, which are already valued at almost 200 million dollars and growing.

We’re moving forward on a number of free trade agreements with important markets for our grains and oilseeds. As Leo mentioned, we got the Colombia agreement into play. We’re now working on a number of key markets, including India, as I said, and Morocco, which are also big customers for pulses and wheat, and of course the ongoing negotiations with the European Union.

But even with all these achievements in this report, we know there’s still more work to be done. With the United Nations announcing that the world’s population will exceed seven billion by the end of October, demand will only increase for Canada’s high quality grains and other products. In a world where our farmers will be asked to produce more on less land with a reduced environmental footprint, it’s important that our trading partners recognize the safety and value of crop science. That’s why we are tireless advocates for a pragmatic approach to unintended low-level presence in grain shipments. When abroad, Canada never misses a chance to promote science-based trade rules and safe uses of innovation such as biotechnology. At home, Canada’s leading the way by consulting on changes to our own low-level presence regulations.

We’re also putting our money where our mouth is. Even during the recent global economic recession, your government continued to make significant strategic investments in science and innovation because we know that a competitive industry is an innovative industry. We’re beginning discussions on the next suite of Growing Forward programs, and everything we’re getting from industry talks about less business risk, other than what Leo talked about, for agri recovery, and a lot more money in science and innovation. We agree with that.

We’ve invested almost 50 million dollars to support research clusters and other industry led projects for wheat, barley, pulses and canola, and we’ll continue to work with you.

These projects bring together the best brains in the business to move the sector forward to results that you outline. As you know access to markets for innovative products means little if you aren’t able to deliver consistently and reliably to our customers. That’s why the government is committed to improving the effectiveness, efficiency and reliability of Canada’s rail freight supply chain, looking at the full chain, not just the railway, but of course that’s the catalyst.

Like you, we know that proper rail service remains absolutely vital to doing business in Western Canada. As a key part of our response to the rail freight service review, I’m pleased to report – and you’ve probably heard this already – that yesterday the government appointed Jim Dinning to lead a six-month facilitation process to enhance our rail freight service. If you know Jim, you’ll know that he brings a depth of experience and expertise in building consensus among industry leaders and government agencies. He’ll bring together shippers, railways and other key players to develop a template for service agreements and a streamlined commercial dispute resolution process. It’s a big order.

Once complete, the government is committed to tabling legislative changes that will give all shippers – that’s you – the ability to establish service agreements with the railways, promoting more predictable and efficient service. These improvements go part and parcel with another significant change we’re making to the wheat and barley industry.

We know that the wheat and barley farmers like you need to be able to market their crop in a way that best suits their business at a time, place and choosing of theirs. That’s why on October the 18th, our government tabled legislation to give all Western Canadian farmers marketing freedom. The Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act will give every farmer in Western Canada the freedom to choose how to market their grain, whether that’s on the open market or voluntarily through a Canadian Wheat Board.

It was great to have Steven and Brian there with us to celebrate that tabling. Steven talked about three generations of his family working towards that day, and a lot of you, I know a lot of you have spent a lot of hours working towards that, and I welcome the work you did. As I often say we’re just (inaudible) the ground that you ploughed.

It was great to see you folks there. Marketing freedom is a step forward for Western Canada that is long overdue. Unfortunately, the political opposition and a guy named Oberg have made it clear that they will stop at nothing to prevent farmers from marketing their own grain. How unfortunate. In fact, one journalist I read the other day said that we were forcing freedom on farmers. I like that.
(laughter)

As if we can force you guys to do anything. Even if it means launching a reckless and baseless legal challenge financed by you on both sides, not only does the Parliament of Canada have the supremacy to enact, amend or repeal any piece of legislation, our government has the responsibility to deliver on the promises we made to you in the last election, as well as a few before that. And we will deliver. The Harper government intends to pass this final legislation by the end of this calendar year and have an open market in place by August 1st of 2012.

(applause)

Absolutely!

As Canada continues to position itself for future growth, we require a strong profitable farm sector more than ever, as does the world. Marketing freedom will breathe new life into our grain industry. Just the promise of marketing freedom is already attracting investment and value-added opportunities here in Western Canada.

As many of you know and were there, we were in Alex this morning with Rahr Malting where they announced a 6 million dollars investment that will expand their barley malt storage capacity. While this additional storage will reduce the farmer’s risk of spoilage and improve Rahr’s ability to work at the speed of commerce, it will also create 20 construction jobs. Willie Rahr made it clear that they would never be able to make this investment if not for the government’s plan to remove the stranglehold of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly.

As demonstrated by the number of initiatives that Leo outlined and I’ve talked about here today, our government doesn’t shy away from hard work, just like you. We’re eager to continue to working with you and processors like Alliance Grain Traders and Rahr to make sure you have the business environment that you need to succeed and compete.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, we look forward to continuing our work together as we build a brighter future with you. Thank you so much, and I look forward to your questions.

(applause)

[Burbert]

Soooooo, the failed ostrich farmer,
slithered inta Albertie. Dump some
useless politico bull, on a select crowd
in Leaduc, then slithered back to Ottawa!
Good on ya cracker, preaching to the
converted, easy peasy, to hell wit the
rest a the Comedians.......

[parsley]

Burbert.....one of the most important things you
can do, rather than criticize the way a person
looks or what his farm raises, is to lobby, insist,
ask, that ALL governments remain a regulator.
Not a player handing out favors. Not picking
winners and losers. But regulating the free
market

That does not include handing out government
tax dollars to players who give them re-election
donations

It means stfu and regulating. It's a lack-luster
Job But by far the most important one any
government does next to protecting their citiens

A national referee. Pars

[wilagro]

parsley: You are dreaming in technicolor as they say. When has government in Canada EVER been just a regulator? POLITICS is always the first consideration...good government...well that is a different matter and subject to interpretation.

[parsley]

Wil we all have our dreams..... : >) zz. But
check Switzerland for number of bureaucracy.
Pars.