Canada's Position at the WTO

[Riley]

Ever since I started farming some 35 years ago, trade liberalization and the elmination of tarriffs has been held out as the "Holy Grail" of agriculture. It was a given that once this was achieved we would all return to prosperity. While it might be a laudable goal...it ain't going to happen. As was mentioned earlier the U.S. and Europeans have a vested interest in keeping things as they are. Food security has become an important item in the past few years, but above that the entire farm economy is based on those subsidies. They have been built into land values which are the primary security that banks hold against farmer loans. Over and above all this is the fact that in the U.S. system of government, these lightly populated agricultural states are important especially as far as the senate is concerned. No administration is going to commit hari kari by alienating the agriculture sector and losing valuable senate seats in the process. Even if a deal comes from the current WTO round I'm sure they will find away around it if and when its needed. The fact is that domestic politics will always trump international agreements especially by countries that are powerful enough to flaunt the rules. That's just the way it is.

[Vader]

Parsley, I am prepared to ask that question at the board table.

[TOM4CWB]

Vader;

What are your core values?

Does the container issue line up with them?

It is interesting that the bylaws of the CWB COde of COnduct are bla bla bla to you. DId you honestly sign it?

Agstar77; you honestly despise these core values of our heritage and society? If you have children, wouldn't these values be the key ones to teach them:

If you have business relationships; aren't these the rules you would need to have an honest valued long term productive result? Aren't these the standards you and your family need to have?

[parsley]

Vader,

I'm pleased there will be some movement.It will come with or without the Board and a more reasonable stance will help the optics of the Board. It might even save the Board.

The CWB's legal counsel have already determined in writing, that neither price nor volume affects marketing by the CWB, so you will essentially be endorsing what legal counsel has already stated.

Profitable sales that conventional farmers cannot access must not only be tolerated, but encouraged. Every bushel of grain we can sell out of the country is good for the entire country, not just good for the farmer.

I m hopeful with this timely advancement for farmers. Without it, both the Board and an unresponsive Government would have been looking forward to a somewhat well-designed living nightmare.

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley:

Right on.

We must get past the CWB theology that the pie is only so big... and that it is split amongst X number of growers; If one grower gets more... then the others automatically get less.

WE can and will grow the pie bigger... and will have more to share... if we aren't so greedy.

I believe this is the biggest problem with CWB "single desk" policy... and why it dooms the CWB to failure if maintained.

[parsley]

Vader,

You said you would ask the question. I presume the question will be somewhat like this:

I move to issue export licenses to farmer applicants.

Will YOU support the question or just ask it?

Parsley

[Vader]

I don't usually ask questions that I don't support. The question that I will ask will be at the committee level and will be dealt with as are all other issues, with proper deliberation. You get nowhere by springing something on the whole board out of the blue.

[parsley]

Vader,

Proper deliberation, as I recall Board tactics, usually includes a minimum 10 year study, and not necesarily in the Yoga position.

The Board is well aware of the licensing issue. If they aren't, they shouldn't be on the Board. They are either willing to make concessions, or face the ramifications of doing nothing. That's where it is at.

I commend you if you bring some conciliatory measures forward, Vader, and I recognize your negotiation position as a ray of intelligence at the Board level. Are you the only Monopolist who can recognize the vertigo resulting from the downward spiral the CWB is in?

If this is just another CWB stalling tactic, the timeline will be triggered by impatience.

Either way, the farmers are not going away.The Board might.

Parsley