Parsley only telling half the storey

[just_wondering]

On second thought this deserves a thread of its own
this is the pre-amble to the Wheatgrower press release

Wheat Grower members,

The federal government introduced Bill C-46 in the House of Commons yesterday. The legislation amends the CWB Act so as to provide marketing choice in barley. The legislation also includes a provision to allow for a dispute resolution process between the CWB and producers or between the CWB and grain companies. Below is our press release.

As you know, the Wheat Growers have been pushing for marketing choice for both wheat and barley, so your Board of Directors debated whether we should be calling for the legislation to be amended to include wheat. We decided that proposing such an amendment was unlikely to succeed and could very well hold up passage of the Bill. As it stands, the legislation will face strong opposition from certain Opposition Parties. Our goal is to get the Bill passed this Parliamentary session, so that we have a free market in barley by August 1. As you will note, we are asking the federal government to make the legislation subject to a confidence motion, if it appears there is not sufficient support from Opposition MPs.

I know many of you, like me, are desperately wanting to see a free market in wheat. I can assure you that your Board has not given up that fight. We are putting pressure on Minister Ritz to commit to a game plan for moving forward on wheat now that he is addressing barley. That commitment can't wait until the barley legislation is put through -- we need reassurance that wheat remains a high priority.

The Wheat Growers are also pushing the federal government to introduce legislation that will change CWB director election rules, including provisions that will change voter eligibility (i.e. only bona fide grain farmers should vote), a weighted ballot, a minimum production threshold and a CWB election commission that would be responsible for drawing up the voters list and overseeing the election process. We believe these changes will give us a better chance of electing pro-choice directors, and that this would go a long way to achieving marketing choice for wheat.

Your comments are welcome.

Yours truly,

Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel
President

[parsley]

I read where the WCWGA needed reassurance in the preamble.

"There there.", says the Easter bunny.

Wheat Growers need to watch UFC.

You gotta fight. You gotta have heart.
Right down to the last second.

But you got caught in some gawdawful Government hold this Session.

WCBGA tapped out.


Parsley

[AdamSmith]

The point Parsley is making and it is a point that has pissed me off ever since Chuck Strahl announced a barley vote (Oct.06)was that someone, somewhere in Torydom decided that Wheat was off the table. And everyone since has just accepted whatever cooked up reason was offered and just went along in order to get along.

The problem isn't Goodale, or Easter or Ritz or Strahl.

The problem has never been Adrian Measner, or Deanna Allen or Ken Ritter or Ian MaCreary (I hope I spelled it right Agstar)

The problem isn't PPO's with wide basis levels, or PRO's $2 - $5 below world market values.

The problem isn't CWB Elections and their rules.

The problem isn't outrageous buy-backs or even special deals on licences for seed, feed mills, Ontario and Organics.

All of the above are only SYMPTOMS of the problem. Symptoms of a failed and dysfunctional industry.

The PROBLEM is THE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD ACT. PERIOD.

In the fall of 2006 Minister Strahl appointed a Task Force to look at what needed to be done in order to deal with all the above symptoms, they rightfully determined that inorder to treat the symptoms the CWB Act needed to be Repealed.

Let me repeat this for those who have a hard time keeping up.

THE CWB ACT NEEDS TO BE REPEALED!!!!!

But two days later, Chuck tossed the Task Force report in the trash and announced they we're going to have a plebicite on barley, only barley, instead.

So here we are nearly eighteen months later and our free market farm groups are all slapping themselves on the back and giving each other high fives when in reality nothing is different today than existed 18 months ago.

Barley and Wheat are still under the CWB Act. Barley is still a 50/50 proposition and Wheat..., well Ritz and the Consevatives haven't even heard we grow wheat on the prairies.

Wheat?, What wheat?, I dunno anything about any wheat?, We grow wheat?, Out here on the prairies? Huh! We should have meeting about that?

[AdamSmith]

Another thing that has occured to my inquisitive brain,

WHY, are the Tories adding in dispute settlement provisions in this bill?

If I had any intentions of doing wheat as well in the near future, I wouldn't be too worried about this issue.

If I were planning on repealing the cwb act within a year or two anyway why bother adding this.

The only reason it's being added now is because the Tories know the CWB Act and thus the CWB monopoly on wheat, is going to be around for a long time to come.

I hope I'm wrong here but that's the way things appear to me.

So why glad hand these guys for syaing to western farmers, be happy with barley because that's all your gonna get?

[just_wondering]

Thanks for the replies
it was not a decision made lightly, and without intense discussion.
My question is, are you suggesting that we need to go for an all or nothing approach?
Repeal the CWB act and nothing else.
If this were a majority parliament you can bet that would be my play, but it's not.
Adam I recall after the feds announced the plebiscite you saying that you won't help the Conservative party in any aspect. I have gone the other way trying to influence the Party to go towards your position , through phone calls personal meetings and lining up attendee's for their B.S. press releases
The only way that I see this working is by more people becoming involved they are not doing this because it came to them in a dream it's because their voters demand changes.
they have keyed in on change because Conservative voters their lifeline and money demand it.
We could all try to found a western party but the last time that was tried it was 16 years of Liberal Rule.

[AdamSmith]

jw,

I guess what I am saying is I do expect an all or nothing commitment to solve this issue properly and permanantly.

I do expect the Consevatives to acknowledge the principle of free markets for all grains, not all grains except wheat.

I do expect the farm groups, which I support, to understand and fulfill their role of advocate for a free market in wheat. Not an advocate for the CPC.

If the WCWGA believe the feds approach is a timid half measure, I expect them to say so, and to say so vigorously.

You can acknowledge the decision on barley as a positive development while at the same time say much more needs to be done in order to create the prosperous industry the WCWGA advocates.

You can say we appreciate our day parole on barley, but since we've been unjustly incarcerated in the first place, we demand our total freedom.

And as far a majority is concerned, I agree, but by the same token hasn't anyone noticed that a majority these days is around 120 votes as the number of voting Liberals has shrunk to about 10 members.

[just_wondering]

I would agree 100% in the last budget 7 Libs showed up the difference was that it was a matter of confidence.

If your a member and I'm sure you are you have every right to tell the WCWGA board how you feel and why.

I can't tell you how frustrating it has been to make compromise on something that should have been done 26 months ago
Rest assured that daily we are working on other avenues to pusue freedom in wheat/durum.
we can't just take our ball and go home.