FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2010
Bruce Stanton, M.P., Introduces Private Member’s Bill to
Give Marketing Freedom to Western Farmers
Ottawa – Bruce Stanton, Member of Parliament for Simcoe North, tabled a Private Member’s Bill today that would give barley and wheat farmers in Western Canada the choice between marketing their own crop or participating in the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). Currently, the CWB operates a monopoly over the marketing of barley and wheat produced in Western Canada – that deprives western farmers of the choice to market their product as they choose. Bill C-619, entitled, An Act to amend the Canadian Wheat Board Act (notice of opting out and licence for activities), would permit western farmers to “opt out” of participating in CWB activities for a minimum of two years.
“The barley and wheat that is produced by the hard-working farmers of Western Canada is a product of their own labour and investment on their own land,” said Stanton. “Yet, they have no say as to how it is marketed or at what price. This is fundamentally unfair to today’s western farmers who have never had the freedom to market their product as they wish.”
Stanton’s Bill would permit Western producers to opt out of the CWB by giving notice within a specific three month period (January 1 – April 1) each year. This “opt out” provision would allow farmers a clear choice, while retaining predictability and stability for farmers who choose to remain in the CWB pool. “This Bill strikes a balance – by retaining all the mechanisms of the statutory marketing authority (the CWB) and offering the alternative of marketing outside of the CWB,” he said.
“The final choice of how wheat and barley in Western Canada is marketed should lie in the hands of producers, as it is in every other region of the country.” This Bill would bring fairness and marketing freedom to today’s western farmers,” said Stanton.
February 10, 2010
Bruce Stanton, M.P., Introduces Private Member’s Bill to
Give Marketing Freedom to Western Farmers
Ottawa – Bruce Stanton, Member of Parliament for Simcoe North, tabled a Private Member’s Bill today that would give barley and wheat farmers in Western Canada the choice between marketing their own crop or participating in the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). Currently, the CWB operates a monopoly over the marketing of barley and wheat produced in Western Canada – that deprives western farmers of the choice to market their product as they choose. Bill C-619, entitled, An Act to amend the Canadian Wheat Board Act (notice of opting out and licence for activities), would permit western farmers to “opt out” of participating in CWB activities for a minimum of two years.
“The barley and wheat that is produced by the hard-working farmers of Western Canada is a product of their own labour and investment on their own land,” said Stanton. “Yet, they have no say as to how it is marketed or at what price. This is fundamentally unfair to today’s western farmers who have never had the freedom to market their product as they wish.”
Stanton’s Bill would permit Western producers to opt out of the CWB by giving notice within a specific three month period (January 1 – April 1) each year. This “opt out” provision would allow farmers a clear choice, while retaining predictability and stability for farmers who choose to remain in the CWB pool. “This Bill strikes a balance – by retaining all the mechanisms of the statutory marketing authority (the CWB) and offering the alternative of marketing outside of the CWB,” he said.
“The final choice of how wheat and barley in Western Canada is marketed should lie in the hands of producers, as it is in every other region of the country.” This Bill would bring fairness and marketing freedom to today’s western farmers,” said Stanton.
Comment