To CWB: Follow the cheese
At a recent Alberta meeting of District
Managers at the Canadian Federation of
Independent Business, we watched an
excellent video based on the book Who
Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
Later in the meeting, CFIB celebrated
the recent news of the long-awaited
victory of legislation to remove the
monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board. I
hadn’t thought of this connection until
one of our Alberta reps made a joke
about the need for the CWB Board and
Executive to watch this video.
Who Moved My Cheese? is a story about a
maze with two mice and two humans that
are accustomed to finding their “cheese”
(a metaphor for happiness or success) in
the same place every day. When the
cheese supply disappears, the mice just
scurry on to find new cheese. The two
humans (Hem and Haw) are angry and find
themselves unprepared and hungry.
Finally, Haw pulls himself together and
begins a search for new cheese. Hem
keeps his victimized mindset and refuses
to move on.
This aptly describes the situation at
the Canadian Wheat Board. For decades,
prairie wheat and barley farmers have
wanted the same rights as farmers in
other parts of Canada: to choose their
own customers and marketing approaches
without having it dictated to them by a
government agency. In survey after
survey, a strong majority of CFIB’s
1,900 prairie farm members have told us
that they want “dual marketing,” which
would allow them to sell to the board or
choose to market their wheat or barley
themselves. In my days at CFIB in both
Winnipeg and Calgary, I can remember
several older farmers telling me they
hoped to live long enough to see the day
their children would be able to market
their own products.
On the day the legislation to remove the
board’s monopoly was introduced, I was
invited to attend the announcement with
Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and
Agri-Food. This was a big day for CFIB:
We’ve been part of an impressive network
of prairie organizations lobbying for
such a change for many, many years.
After countless surveys, meetings,
coalitions, news releases and
parliamentary presentations, it was very
gratifying to be representing our
members at the annoucement.
However, what has happened in the days
following the announcement is very
disappointing. Just like Hem, the
Canadian Wheat Board has decided to
ignore its responsibilities to the
farmers and, instead, sue the Federal
government to try to retain the power to
force farmers to sell their grain in the
way the CWB feels is best. Simply put,
the board refuses to recognize its
“cheese” has moved.
At this stage, the board’s job should be
to work quickly to negotiate a plan to
remain viable in the competitive
landscape. It will have tremendous
advantages in the market place,
including financial guarantees, many
assets, staff and an internationally
known brand.
The government plans to remove the
monopoly by Aug. 1, 2012, giving some
time and much support for these changes
to take place. Still, without the CWB
coming to terms with its new realities,
there is a real risk it may cease to be
a viable force in the wheat and barley
business. In the past few weeks, two
directors have resigned from the board
over its lawsuit to keep its monopoly.
These are the very people it needs to
prepare for the new reality.
When asked, nearly 60% of CFIB agri-
business members said it was very or
somewhat important for the CWB to remain
a marketing option. While monopoly
supporters say the board can’t exist in
a dual marketing setting, international
experience and common sense say
otherwise. The wheat board continues to
have many fans, including some CFIB
members, and it can reinvent itself if
it chooses to do so. Suing the Federal
government — in fact, suing the
taxpayers of Canada — is a terrible way
to start.
In his hopes Hem will get back in the
game, Haw writes many inspirational
messages on the walls of the maze. One
of them appears custom-written for the
CWB board and executive: “Adapt to
change quickly: The quicker you let go
of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy
new cheese.” Here’s hoping the CWB drops
its ridiculous and counter-productive
lawsuit and gets on with the business of
preparing itself to play an important
role in prairie agri-business in the
future. If not, the board members will
be the unwitting authors of a depressing
business story called “Who Moved My
Wheat!”
• Dan Kelly is senior-vice president of
legislative affairs for the Canadian
Federation of Independent Business
(CFIB), which represents the interests
of small and medium-sized businesses and
lobbies on behalf of its 108,000 members
at the federal, provincial and municipal
levels. Follow Dan on Twitter @CFIB
At a recent Alberta meeting of District
Managers at the Canadian Federation of
Independent Business, we watched an
excellent video based on the book Who
Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
Later in the meeting, CFIB celebrated
the recent news of the long-awaited
victory of legislation to remove the
monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board. I
hadn’t thought of this connection until
one of our Alberta reps made a joke
about the need for the CWB Board and
Executive to watch this video.
Who Moved My Cheese? is a story about a
maze with two mice and two humans that
are accustomed to finding their “cheese”
(a metaphor for happiness or success) in
the same place every day. When the
cheese supply disappears, the mice just
scurry on to find new cheese. The two
humans (Hem and Haw) are angry and find
themselves unprepared and hungry.
Finally, Haw pulls himself together and
begins a search for new cheese. Hem
keeps his victimized mindset and refuses
to move on.
This aptly describes the situation at
the Canadian Wheat Board. For decades,
prairie wheat and barley farmers have
wanted the same rights as farmers in
other parts of Canada: to choose their
own customers and marketing approaches
without having it dictated to them by a
government agency. In survey after
survey, a strong majority of CFIB’s
1,900 prairie farm members have told us
that they want “dual marketing,” which
would allow them to sell to the board or
choose to market their wheat or barley
themselves. In my days at CFIB in both
Winnipeg and Calgary, I can remember
several older farmers telling me they
hoped to live long enough to see the day
their children would be able to market
their own products.
On the day the legislation to remove the
board’s monopoly was introduced, I was
invited to attend the announcement with
Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and
Agri-Food. This was a big day for CFIB:
We’ve been part of an impressive network
of prairie organizations lobbying for
such a change for many, many years.
After countless surveys, meetings,
coalitions, news releases and
parliamentary presentations, it was very
gratifying to be representing our
members at the annoucement.
However, what has happened in the days
following the announcement is very
disappointing. Just like Hem, the
Canadian Wheat Board has decided to
ignore its responsibilities to the
farmers and, instead, sue the Federal
government to try to retain the power to
force farmers to sell their grain in the
way the CWB feels is best. Simply put,
the board refuses to recognize its
“cheese” has moved.
At this stage, the board’s job should be
to work quickly to negotiate a plan to
remain viable in the competitive
landscape. It will have tremendous
advantages in the market place,
including financial guarantees, many
assets, staff and an internationally
known brand.
The government plans to remove the
monopoly by Aug. 1, 2012, giving some
time and much support for these changes
to take place. Still, without the CWB
coming to terms with its new realities,
there is a real risk it may cease to be
a viable force in the wheat and barley
business. In the past few weeks, two
directors have resigned from the board
over its lawsuit to keep its monopoly.
These are the very people it needs to
prepare for the new reality.
When asked, nearly 60% of CFIB agri-
business members said it was very or
somewhat important for the CWB to remain
a marketing option. While monopoly
supporters say the board can’t exist in
a dual marketing setting, international
experience and common sense say
otherwise. The wheat board continues to
have many fans, including some CFIB
members, and it can reinvent itself if
it chooses to do so. Suing the Federal
government — in fact, suing the
taxpayers of Canada — is a terrible way
to start.
In his hopes Hem will get back in the
game, Haw writes many inspirational
messages on the walls of the maze. One
of them appears custom-written for the
CWB board and executive: “Adapt to
change quickly: The quicker you let go
of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy
new cheese.” Here’s hoping the CWB drops
its ridiculous and counter-productive
lawsuit and gets on with the business of
preparing itself to play an important
role in prairie agri-business in the
future. If not, the board members will
be the unwitting authors of a depressing
business story called “Who Moved My
Wheat!”
• Dan Kelly is senior-vice president of
legislative affairs for the Canadian
Federation of Independent Business
(CFIB), which represents the interests
of small and medium-sized businesses and
lobbies on behalf of its 108,000 members
at the federal, provincial and municipal
levels. Follow Dan on Twitter @CFIB
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