With the SWP spending the last five years on life support and a grim prognosis, talk of takeover is inevitable. The speculation has always been “who”. The “if” and the “when” seem obvious.
Also it’s never been a big secret that the current CWB directors are determined to get the wheat board into the grain handling business as well.
So talk of this impending marriage becomes more wide spread but the principle parties say nothing.
We chalk it up to rumour and spend little time considering it because we consider this union to be so absurd that no one would allow it to happen, even the CWB staff know better than to seriously entertain such folly.
Now I’m not so certain.
Apparently some liberal stooges have been leaking it out that a report was commissioned to explore further the proposed CWB takeover of SWP assets and suggesting that this deal is inevitable.
This may just turn out to be somebody’s idea of a sick joke but if you think about it for more than two minutes this is NOT a good turn of events for the grain farming sector of the prairies.
The negative ramifications of the REGULATOR of an industry being a major COMPETITOR with that industry are obvious, but having this scenario unfold in such a politicized industry as the prairie grain sector would be near catastrophic.
Issues of ownership and equity will need to be addressed. The CWB’s structure would have to change otherwise we have the equivalent of the Canada Pension Plan meets the grain business.
I really hope this is just a bunch of gossip but I think we need to consider the consequences of such a misguided foray into the grain handling business by the CWB.
Also it’s never been a big secret that the current CWB directors are determined to get the wheat board into the grain handling business as well.
So talk of this impending marriage becomes more wide spread but the principle parties say nothing.
We chalk it up to rumour and spend little time considering it because we consider this union to be so absurd that no one would allow it to happen, even the CWB staff know better than to seriously entertain such folly.
Now I’m not so certain.
Apparently some liberal stooges have been leaking it out that a report was commissioned to explore further the proposed CWB takeover of SWP assets and suggesting that this deal is inevitable.
This may just turn out to be somebody’s idea of a sick joke but if you think about it for more than two minutes this is NOT a good turn of events for the grain farming sector of the prairies.
The negative ramifications of the REGULATOR of an industry being a major COMPETITOR with that industry are obvious, but having this scenario unfold in such a politicized industry as the prairie grain sector would be near catastrophic.
Issues of ownership and equity will need to be addressed. The CWB’s structure would have to change otherwise we have the equivalent of the Canada Pension Plan meets the grain business.
I really hope this is just a bunch of gossip but I think we need to consider the consequences of such a misguided foray into the grain handling business by the CWB.