CWB Worsening Western Alienation
Although farmers rarely questioned Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) authority or policy in earlier years, the last decade has produced countless farmers who view ‘the Board’ critically.
The key intimidation tactic the CWB uses, is to ensure that any Western farmer riding his grain-truck into America’s lucrative golden-grain-sunset be charged with ‘exporting without a license’.
Canada Customs bumbles as the CWB’s Sheriff.
Western farmers have been jailed, weeks at a time, for trying to sell their grain.
As Board dirtyworkers debited farmers’ accounts with fines and ascertained forfeitures, farmers began asking why everyone, except them, was able to get a license.
Alberta's CWB Director James Chatenay, in his October, 2002, Press Release, publicly chastised fellow Directors:
“it is within our power to order the Licensing Department to issue or deny an export license to each applicant,”
“We consistently deny licenses to Prairie farmers.” “My constituents call this discrimination.”
Farmers have to deal with the CWB because Parliament gave the Board a dual responsibility.
Though the CWB sells Prairie grain, they are also the sole national licenser of wheat/ barley, (and their products), moving interprovincially or exported. Only the CWB can issue licenses.
CWB policy works like this…. if you live in Ontario, you get the CWB license; if you live in Alberta, CWB boys deny your license so they can buy your wheat so they can do the selling.
Good for jobs.
Access to Information from 1947 Cabinet documents clearly reveals the addition of Part IV of the CWB Act was intended as a national “tariff”, with the proceeds for Government.
Part IV demanded each exporter (and still does); pay a tariff based upon the difference between the price of grain inside and outside Canada.
When Canadian grain was set by Government at $3.00, while world price was $5.00, Government would collect $2.00 per bushel.
The tariff was so onerous exports died.
But when NAFTA swooped Canada stipulating ‘in-Canada prices’ could not differ from world prices, the tariff became $0.00.
The CWB wanted to disguise the original legislative intent of the national tariff in the Act by deviously renaming it a ‘buyback’ and claiming buybacks only apply regionally, but their slight of hand will unravel under scrutiny sometime, smewhere.
National licensing in Part IV of the CWB Act should ensure that all applicants will enjoy the same export licensing requirements.
Denials cannot be based upon religion, sex, political belief or location.
Imagine the outrage if all Hutterites were denied. Or Muslims.
When the CWB denied licenses to Easterners, the Government ordered the CWB to grant them. They did.
Yet, the CWB continues a no-license policy for Westerners even though Westerners are remain Canadians.
If Parliament had plunked national licensing into Part III, it would indicate that licensing was part and parcel of regional marketing duties.
Instead, Parliament placed licensing into Part IV, with Government supposed to be paying licensing costs.
Therefore, the CWB can not plead that licensing is regional or that licensing is a marketing function.
The latest court challenge launched by class action, demands Government retroactively repay the whopping national licensing costs into Western pools.
Many westerners resent paying for what they cannot themselves get.
During the Court of Appeal,in Regina, a few years ago,devoid of press, CWB counsel argued that the CWB has no duty of care to farmers, but he failed to refute any of the farmers’ facts or to address the issues in the Court’s written reply to the CWB’s Motion to Dismiss.
Until Ottawa’s CWB also provides Westerners with licenses and stops taking licensing costs from Western pool accounts, the CWB's relationship with the West will continue to worsen.
Parsley
Although farmers rarely questioned Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) authority or policy in earlier years, the last decade has produced countless farmers who view ‘the Board’ critically.
The key intimidation tactic the CWB uses, is to ensure that any Western farmer riding his grain-truck into America’s lucrative golden-grain-sunset be charged with ‘exporting without a license’.
Canada Customs bumbles as the CWB’s Sheriff.
Western farmers have been jailed, weeks at a time, for trying to sell their grain.
As Board dirtyworkers debited farmers’ accounts with fines and ascertained forfeitures, farmers began asking why everyone, except them, was able to get a license.
Alberta's CWB Director James Chatenay, in his October, 2002, Press Release, publicly chastised fellow Directors:
“it is within our power to order the Licensing Department to issue or deny an export license to each applicant,”
“We consistently deny licenses to Prairie farmers.” “My constituents call this discrimination.”
Farmers have to deal with the CWB because Parliament gave the Board a dual responsibility.
Though the CWB sells Prairie grain, they are also the sole national licenser of wheat/ barley, (and their products), moving interprovincially or exported. Only the CWB can issue licenses.
CWB policy works like this…. if you live in Ontario, you get the CWB license; if you live in Alberta, CWB boys deny your license so they can buy your wheat so they can do the selling.
Good for jobs.
Access to Information from 1947 Cabinet documents clearly reveals the addition of Part IV of the CWB Act was intended as a national “tariff”, with the proceeds for Government.
Part IV demanded each exporter (and still does); pay a tariff based upon the difference between the price of grain inside and outside Canada.
When Canadian grain was set by Government at $3.00, while world price was $5.00, Government would collect $2.00 per bushel.
The tariff was so onerous exports died.
But when NAFTA swooped Canada stipulating ‘in-Canada prices’ could not differ from world prices, the tariff became $0.00.
The CWB wanted to disguise the original legislative intent of the national tariff in the Act by deviously renaming it a ‘buyback’ and claiming buybacks only apply regionally, but their slight of hand will unravel under scrutiny sometime, smewhere.
National licensing in Part IV of the CWB Act should ensure that all applicants will enjoy the same export licensing requirements.
Denials cannot be based upon religion, sex, political belief or location.
Imagine the outrage if all Hutterites were denied. Or Muslims.
When the CWB denied licenses to Easterners, the Government ordered the CWB to grant them. They did.
Yet, the CWB continues a no-license policy for Westerners even though Westerners are remain Canadians.
If Parliament had plunked national licensing into Part III, it would indicate that licensing was part and parcel of regional marketing duties.
Instead, Parliament placed licensing into Part IV, with Government supposed to be paying licensing costs.
Therefore, the CWB can not plead that licensing is regional or that licensing is a marketing function.
The latest court challenge launched by class action, demands Government retroactively repay the whopping national licensing costs into Western pools.
Many westerners resent paying for what they cannot themselves get.
During the Court of Appeal,in Regina, a few years ago,devoid of press, CWB counsel argued that the CWB has no duty of care to farmers, but he failed to refute any of the farmers’ facts or to address the issues in the Court’s written reply to the CWB’s Motion to Dismiss.
Until Ottawa’s CWB also provides Westerners with licenses and stops taking licensing costs from Western pool accounts, the CWB's relationship with the West will continue to worsen.
Parsley
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