CWB critic almost killed

[TOM4CWB]

Shamrock;

You are right, this situation needs to be defused... the debate in not constructive at all.

I though I made it clear by my comments on McKay... that this was a Customs/RCMP problem... much more than a CWB problem.

Same goes for the Customs Minister's refusal to rule whether or not the seizures of the vehicles used in transporting the grain was legal... a refusal for over six years.

Justice delayed is Justice denied, especially when people are going jail before it has been decided if the vehicle seizures were legal and are under appeal.

The breakdown in the Justice Dept must be corrected... which I believe was Ken Dillen's main point.

WHO exactly is responsible is quite moot... that it happened at all is the problem. We need to make sure it does not happen again!

[wilagro]

The farmers who went to jail had a choice. They could have paid their fines and then appealed as to the legality of the seizures. Nobody PUT these hardworking farmers in jail but themselves.

'Nuff said.

[parsley]

Wilagrow,

I find it interesting if you are saying you are closing the discussion. And particularly since your summarization of the jailing of farmers is not placed within the context of export licensing, which is the heart of the issue.

Wilagrow, you have obviously not understood the following issues:

1. The CWB denies ALL export licenses to Designated Area farmers.

2. The CWB denied export licenses to ALL jailed farmers.

3. The jailed farmers protested the denial of licenses.

4. The CWB's consistent denial of export licenses to a certain group of farmers in a particular area of Canada is POLICY only, because the licensing part of the CWB Act is supposed to be applied equally to all Canadians in every part of the country.

5. Every jailed farmer was charged at the border with NOT having an export license. Any other subsequent charges initially stemmed from not having an export license.

The point is this wilagow.......CWB officials sit in the backroom and deny export liceses to every prairie farmer, and this is not mandated by the legislation. Doesn't that make you at the very least, uncomfortable?

Right across Canada, hundreds of news media became aware that Prairie farmers are being targeted and that the legislation in place is not being applied equally and fairly to them by the Wheat Board itself. It's un-Canadian.

I acknowledge that you want and like the single desk, but your wishes and your wants are superceded by legislation. And that legislation applies equally to all farmers in all parts Canada . And the jailed farmers tried to make that point. It's unfortunate that you missed it, if you did. It's dishonorable if you will bend any legislation in order to support your political philosophy.

Parsley

[shamrock]

Parsley,
I have a couple of comments on your comments. You say the CWB denies all farmers export licenses and that the CWB denied the jailed farmers export licenses. When in reality these farmers never applied for export licenses so how could they be denied, no different then not going for a driving test and then blaming the licensing office for not giving you a drivers license. And to say they are protesting the denial of these licenses might be true but I always have a problem with people who have to break the law to be heard, you would have got further ahead had you rallied farmers together peacfully, and I mean all farmers in the west, don't forget the poor boys up in the Peace. Politician listen better when talked to then when bullied, as a matter of fact most people do. We're at the point now when you start to talk people are thinking, Oh no, not them again, what are they wining about now. Don't get me wrong I think we need change, but that is better done within the system then from the illegal side.

[parsley]

Shamrock, are you aware of the Sommerville case? In 1969, Somerville transported over 4000 bus of wheat he had grown in Saskatchewan, into Alberta, to a custom feedlot where it was fed to cattle he owned. He had no licence and on the face of it, this too, was blatantly in violation of the CWB Act.

The CWB charged him and they chased his court acquitals all the way to the Supreme Court where he was again acquited. It was recognized by the Supreme Court that "at the time of the alleged offence, there were no provisions in the Regulations under the Act which would have enabled the respondent to obtain a licence or permit from the Board".

Whether or not Sommerville had actually tried to get a licence was not an issue for the Supreme Court. Since it wasn't mentioned, presumably he never tried.

Since then, we have had marketing choice within Canada for our feed grains. Should Sommerville have "rallied all farmers" instead of "breaking the law"? Would the Peace farmers have supported him or would they have sooner seen Sommerville in jail?

Some of the border runners did in fact apply for licences.

The law of the land is broken all the time when Eastern grain, flour and yes even cookies are exported without an export licence. Who are the lawbreakers? Is it only western farmers, or is it all exporters, east and west who export with no licence? What about the CWB and Customs, are they not breaking the law when they don't enforce the law? How about the Directors looking the other way when Quebec crosses the border?

I want to comment about license denials.

If you went for a driver's license tommorow and were told by the employees in the local licensing agency that their new policy prohibited all men over the age of 20 in your town from obtaining drivers licenses , you would start asking questions. Calgary folks were getting licenses, but your town's guys couldn't. Alberta licensing legislation applies equally to all Albertans. You can't get one though.

Now, I agree, you have some options. You can stay home. You can move. Or drive without a license. You can protest-drive to draw attention to the fact that your hometown is being bullied and endure the insults of your neighbors yelling, "Throw Shamrock in jail 'cause he doesn't have a damn license".

Finally, you can take those policy makers to court, and hopefully reprimand those employees who arbitrarily decided that the 20 yr old men in Shamrock's hometown would NOT get licenses. The court will decide, "Who is breaking the law here?"

But isn't it sad that you not only have to resort to court , but also be told you're a whiner?

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Shamrock;

As a farmer who applied... and was denied a license... infact after I was promised a license by the CWB licensing Dept... I think your observations are incorrect.

The CWB insists on Export Licensing info... including who I was selling to... for one reason only... market intelegence.

I would have no problem turning this info over to an independent part of CDN External Affairs... but I am offended that the CWB asks for this Commercially sensitive info... when we both know they can and do go in and undercut CDN/private sales done through the export license system the CWB administrates.

The FED GOV. is not fairly or justly administrating this export licensing system... and certainly is not causing the CWB Act to be equitably applied equally across Canada.

THese are the issues Ken Dillen and many others looking for Justice and Freedom, were, and will, continue to try to resolve... IF we are allowed to.