Articles

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The Leader-Post (Regina)
2008.03.13

Written by Mr. Art Mainil



Time to free western farmers



Financial editor Bruce Johnstone, in his Feb. 16 column, "Ritz is wrong to bully the CWB", just doesn't get it.

Johnstone used terminology like
"bully","massacre", "fumed", "outburst"and "threatened" in describing the progress made by federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz to get barley marketing freedom in Western Canada -- the same freedom eastern Canadian producers have.

Nobody is saying dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).

The issue is freedom -- freedom to sell to the CWB or to any buyer or market of choice.

If he does not believe in freedom, he should come out and say so.

Tell Ontario. Quebec and the Maritimes their marketing freedom should be taken away and that they should live under a monopoly and control -- confiscation and discrimination -- is better than competition and freedom.

Tell them about the corruption and chaos in the Australian Wheat Board monopoly. Monopolies breed corruption and chaos.

Top it all off with CWB Chairman Ken Ritter's comments that, "we cannot compete without a monopoly".

The CWB is incompetent by its own admission -- the only business in the world that has ever pleaded incompetence to retain its position.

It is impossible for farmers in Western Canada, in the designated area, to survive when they are forced to sell to the CWB, an organization that is incompetent by its own admission.

Farmers who need the incompetent CWB should not be denied, but positive, progressive-thinking young farmers who want freedom should not be denied either.

Durum, hard red wheat and barley producers in Western Canada today are losing millions of dollars a year with the monopoly.

Today, world durum wheat prices: $30/bushel
CWB price: $11/bushel;

World Hard Red Spring: $20/bushel
CWB price: $7.40/bushel

World Barley (New crop): $8.50/bushel
CWB price: $6.50/bushel

This is the CWB on product it says is the best in the world and for which it extracts a premium. Where is the money?

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz must move forward immediately with the removal of durum and hard red wheat and barley from the monopoly. He has the power to issue no-cost export permits immediately.

This must happen because it is the just and proper thing to do.

In the Federal Court of Canada, the CWB stated, "the board was not and is not accountable to individual producers. Rather, the board is accountable only to Parliament. Therefore, neither the board or the Crown owed any legal duty to the plaintiffs (farmers)".

A federal court ruling in Manitoba says Ritz has the power to issue no-cost export permits immediately. The CWB is government -- federal government.

Fifteen minutes after Ritz issues the order to issue no-cost export permits, the price of durum and hard red wheat and barley would be the same on both sides of the border --world market prices.

Art Mainil
Benson

[parsley]

New Bill Gives Farmers' Power to Government

10/03/08

I've told this story before, but it's worth repeating. When Rod Flaman was elected to the position of farmer-director of the Canadian Wheat Board, it was on a ticket that involved an intense opposition to the CWB's monopoly over the sales of wheat and barley.

Flaman's cohort at the time were the Farmers for Justice, not exactly a moderate or low-key group. (If you want an example of their version of paranoid extremism, check out the FFJ website.)

Rod Flaman apparently believed, along with the FFJ, that the Liberal
government, specifically CWB Minister Ralph Goodale, secretly ran the CWB.

Shortly after his election, on a trip to Ottawa as part of his first duties as a director, Flaman found himself in Goodale's parliamentary office. He asked to talk with the folks who looked after the CWB file for the Minister. The puzzled looks he received must have been disconcerting. There was no such group, no such oversight.

Having changed the act to give farmers control of the CWB, Goodale was more
than content to leave them to it.

After a year of watching the CWB work and reviewing sales data, Rod
Flaman had changed his tune. The former border-runner became a strong
supporter of the virtues of single desk selling, though he continued to encourage the board to explore new options.

Gerry Ritz, the present federal Agriculture Minister, appears
determined to re-write history with his introduction on March 3 of
Bill C-46 to the House of Commons.

Bill C-46 is intended to allow Ritz
to do what the federal court wouldn't let him do and what he wasn't able to bully the CWB directors to do - remove the Board's control over the international marketing of all barley and the marketing domestically of barley for human consumption.

With C-46, Ritz will bring Flaman's initial view of a government that
ran the CWB like a puppet-master into reality.

Under the Bill, the government will be able to remove barley from the Act by a simple order-in-council. No need go before that troubling institution,
Parliament, in which the Conservatives are unable to command a majority.

It is a very odd position from a party that purports to dislike big
government. Harper's lifelong rhetoric has been to diminish the power of government and return it to the "people". The CWB act did precisely that. It gave farmers the right to determine the future of their
marketing agency.

Farmers have that opportunity every time they vote for a director of the organization. Up until now, they have voted by large majority to support the single desk and orderly marketing of the CWB.

Clearly, Harper has never been big on this form of democracy. His Ag Minister has indignantly demanded that the CWB must do as he dictates.

Farmers, the courts and the CWB have seen otherwise, and incurred the Minister's petulant and impotent fury.

And if the courts have also failed to bow to the Minister's attempts to break the law, Bill C-41 has a solution for that too.

It will allow grain companies and "farmers" who don't like their dealings with the CWB to require the Board to submit to binding arbitration of disputes.

Currently, grain companies can take disputes with the CWB before the
courts. The intent of this section is not clear, but it could well be
a way to allow anyone with a grudge against the CWB to harass it
without the greater expense of a court case.

If you think this is unlikely, read the history of groups like the Farmers for Justice.

The fate of Bill C-42 is in the hands of the opposition parties.

Harper's government can't pass it without the aid of at least one opposition party. The Bloc Quebecois is not overly likely to support, as the Quebec farm movement is intensely supportive of orderly marketing, and recognizes the thin edge of the wedge when it sees it.

Nor will the NDP.

That leaves the Liberals. If the Conservatives have the audacity to make this a confidence issue, the Liberals will be tested to the max.

Given the Liberals aversion to fighting an election, even a strong CWB supporter like Wayne Easter will not publicly predict the way the
party might go.

Mind you, the Conservatives might have a hard time explaining to voters in urban Canada and anywhere in the east why such a minor issue should cause an election.

Rod Flaman has a big stake in the Liberal's decision. As a candidate
for the party whenever the inevitable election comes, he will be in a
difficult position if his party doesn't stand by its original decision
to let farmers control their marketing agency.

Paul Beingessner
(306) 868-4734 phone
868-2009 fax
beingessner@sasktel.net

[silverback]

Yup, pretty hard to explain to the urban voter:

In America, wheat is worth twice as much as in Canada.

Only farmers in Alberta, Sask, and Man. have to accept these price differences.

Liberals think this is worth forcing us into an election.

Do you want them running this country again?

Vote Conservative.

pretty cheap ad campaign

[TOM4CWB]

10-4 Silverback!

I spoke with the CWB specialist Earl Geddies this afternoon for about half an hour... between 12:15 and 12:43.

Guess what... my only purpose in life... according to the CWB... is to destroy it.

Perhaps my better half should have an argument with Mr. Geddies on that point.

Anyway.... after trying to have an appointment with CWB the H.R. specialist... (you see I am a special needs kind of a person right now) he would have nothing to do with this either!

After explaining how the lack of a transparent pricing system... within the CWB... over and over depreciates commercial growers AND my farms seed production... Prof. Earl had the solution.

You should have no problem.... You have a Blue Tag to go to the USA.

I couldn't believe it.

We are right back to 1996... and what drove me to my Hunger-Strike then.

JUst swear a false Stat. Dec..... and I am free of the CWB (there is no way anyone will know the difference... I was told in 1996)! Same story to my neighbour the other day. Timm repeated it here on Agriville what was happening in the Edmonton Area... how it was affecting local seed prices.


SO;


The CWB distorts the whole pricing system... does not allow transparent pricing signals... Messes up the basis by extracting an inverse basis created out of the PRO... THAT has nothing to do with cash markets on that day...

Distorts the FPC so it cross subsidises the Pool Accounts... to the tune of $100/t on my sales this year to the CWB... and wrecks my seed sales values...

And once again Prof. Earl shares his wisdom... 'If you don't like Fixed Price Contracts... USE the Pool'.

If I need to use the CWB FPC... want risk manage... then I am forced to cross subsidise to the CWB Pool...Prof. Earl.... with $100 of thousands... from our families farm.

And thousands and thousands of other farms... on millions upon millions of tonnes go on cross-subsidising the CWB Pools.

Excuse me... but I object.

The whole reason for the FPC was so we would not have to be part of the CWB Pool.

My problem... Is Mr. Chairman Ritters problem... is Prof. Earl's problem.

They have had the power to fix this particular issue for years... they themselves created it... for in 2000 when FPC were set up... this was not even an issue.

SO

We are back to the future... 12 years later...

My Hunger Strike resumes...

Because of totally unjust administration that snickers at me as they issue the $3.32/t export licenses for Organics...

As they distribute Pedigreed Seed export licenses to those who will swear affidavits they don't/can't know what will happen to their seed...

AND I AM the PERSON DESTROYING the CWB?

EXCUSE ME>

I OBJECT!

[parsley]

"People are loveable when they are vulnerable.

People are believable when they are vulnerable.

People come to life as real, living, breathing, hurting, feeling, laughing, singing, growing beings when they are vulnerable.

David W. Augsburger

[parsley]

This has got to be the quote of the year, written by the Western Producer's Ottawa bureau, Barry Wilson:


"Speaking of falling down, it raises the image of the fainting goatbreed that becomes paralyzed and falls over when scared. The paralysis is temporary. They recover to fall down another day.

If the CWB bill becomes confidence, count on the fainting Liberals to let it pass."

[NISAcase]

parsley what happened to your Renova Holdings appeal on the money illegally removed from CWB pool

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The Lethbridge Herald
15 March, 2008

by Ric Swihart

"New legislation could impact barley market



TABER - The barley marketing sector continues to spin.

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has new proposed legislation pending, but the industry has few details.

Larry Hill of Swift Current, District 2 producer-elected board director, said here Wednesday the pending legislation could favour grain companies. But he isn't sure if and when the new legislation will be passed.

Hill told 110 farmers at his area producer information meeting there will considerable discussion as the legislation proceeds.

Hill said it appears that Ritz will rely on government support to change the rules and remove barley marketing powers from the board by order-in-council.

Several producers asked why the barley marketing saga continues. Producers already voted and the federal government wants change. What is the problem.

Hill outlined the government woes, most of them based on actions that were deemed, and recently confirmed in the Federal Court of Appeal in Winnipeg, illegal.

Hill said even former Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl missed the legalities. He called the producer vote on barley and wheat marketing a consultation, not a plebiscite.

That news brought cat calls from some farmers. "We already voted."

Hill said the producer vote on barley indicated 62 per cent were in favour of an open market. But only 18 per cent voted to remove barley marketing from the wheat board.

Hill said he feels government must go back to barley growers and ask a clear message, yes or no to wheat board barley marketing powers. "That would be a clear message."

Instead, federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz selected to introduce legislation in Parliament that could allow him, by order in council, to remove barley from wheat board.

"If it gets it passed, it could happen quickly," said Hill. "If government had a plebiscite, it would hold more sway with opposition parties."

Hill said the board will follow the law.

"If the board of directors did what government did, be outside the law and if the board decided to open up the barley market, somebody would challenge us," said Hill. "The board wants certainty. Farmers must made the decision."

Hill said the board's new malt barley marketing vehicle - CashPlus -with assignable contracts will stand up regardless of what happens with the legislation. "

Parsley

[parsley]

NISAcase,

Merchant was back in court a few weeks ago.

Again.

The CWB wanted to grill some of the farmers in the class action.

The CWB just can't seem to "understand" the issues. Taking money out of the pooling accounts is foreign to them.

The CWB seem to need to go back to court time and time again to get clarification, more details, more understanding, defined definitions, uncloudinessing, additional paraphrasing, easier to read submissions, different font in all briefs, additional preparatory material pre-court, audio material in case of a blind clerk, Re-investigation, conference-calling the GPS details of the courthouse address, preparing guidelines for cavity searching all farmers in the action, and waiting for a specially trained "Wheat Board Bilingualist" to finish his/her course. (Two so there is NO bias)

Other than that, it was rather progressing quickly.

Parsley

[NISAcase]

Consider a motion to strike the CWB defence.