Choice Matters Website

[charliep]

Just a note to make sure all of you are aware Alberta's website around Market Choice. I encourage everyone to visit and participate.

http://www.choicematters.gov.ab.ca/

[Incognito]

Congrats on the site, Charlie. Information is key to everyone having the knowledge to debate the issue.

It is difficult to have balance on an issue so divided in the prairies.

This will become a Supreme Court issue. Too bad our former Agriculture Minister didn't have the bal*s to deal with it in 1995 through the Western Grain Marketing Panel - we wouldn't be at the point we are today.

This is about economics, not politics and economics should be the driving force behind the debate.

Is that possible?

[crusher]

I had a breakfast meeting with Art Macklin (my CWB director)and several other local area producers. The agenda for the meeting was to allow producers the opportunity to express their opinions on the operation of the CWB. Most of the time we were listening to Art reveal the great work the CWB is doing for its sole benefactor-producers.

He concluded his speech (the whole meeting appeared to be just electioneering), about the lunacy of the Alberta governments pursuit of Market Choice. He wasn't giving it much concern because he was firm in the belief the CWB would be protected by the Feds or the Supreme Court. The end result would be a huge lawyer bill paid by you and me.

[crusher]

I had a breakfast meeting with Art Macklin (my CWB director)and several other local area producers. The agenda for the meeting was to allow producers the opportunity to express their opinions on the operation of the CWB. Most of the time we were listening to Art reveal the great work the CWB is doing for its sole benefactor-producers.

He concluded his speech (the whole meeting appeared to be just electioneering), about the lunacy of the Alberta governments pursuit of Market Choice. He wasn't giving it much concern because he was firm in the belief the CWB would be protected by the Feds or the Supreme Court. The end result would be a huge lawyer bill paid by you and me.

[Incognito]

The Art and Butch show will be the demise of the CWB.

[Incognito]

From Reuters today:

The European Union, under pressure at farm trade talks to abolish export subsidies, on Thursday gave one of its clearest signals yet it might happen, provided the United States and others took similar steps.

But the EU also wants U.S. food aid programmes brought into the mix, together with the state trading corporations of countries such as Canada, which hold monopoly positions in areas of local farm business.

"We have indicated that monopoly rights should end," Minch said.

[charliep]

Thanks for your feed back Crusher.

By now, most of you will have recieved the Market Choice Newsletter. Did the articles help your understanding of the issues around Marketing Choice from the Alberta perspective? From the perspective of someone who is not strongly rooted in either of CWB or market choice camps, what are the issues you would like to see addressed?

[exnaboe]

The CWB represents the only means, outside of supply management, where Canadian farmers act together to try to be price setters rather than price takers. So the Alberta Government believes that free choice is better. If things go the way they usually do this means that farmers will keep competing against each other until only the grain companies come out as winners.

[Incognito]

exnaboe:

Maybe you missed my earlier post....

This is about economics, not politics and economics should be the driving force behind the debate.

Is that possible?

Do you have proof that collective selling of your wheat and barley generate premiums on 100% that the CWB sells?

Charlie:

Do you or your government have proof that the CWB does NOT extract a premium on wheat from the export market on SOME of the grain it sells?

Keep barley out of this post...it is a no-brainer. They should NOT be marketing barley...period. Wheat my friend, is a different story.

Economics not politics....If either side wants to win this fight, that is what it has to come down to.

If not fight for the next 2 years and let the WTO decide and give us 6 months to adapt to a wide open market. And that way for sure, there will be more losers than winners.

[carebear300]

I am leaning towards the abolishment of the Canadian Wheat Board. After saying that if any of you people think that the Europeans and the Americans will do away with their subsidies I have some beachfront property to sell you in Saskatchewan. It isn't going to happen we have been down this road way to many times before. Both of the aforementioned entities believe that they are beyond the jurisdiction of the WTO and will do whatever whenever they want. Sorry I can't be more optomistic.