This Wheat Board thing is starting to get noticed

[AdamSmith]

This was in the Jaksoville Florida Times Union, as well as NewsDay NY

Tories refuse to commit to farmer vote on future of wheat board

OTTAWA ((AP) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the Canadian Wheat Board must "respect the opinions of all western farmers, not just those who agree with it" - even as his government hedges on holding a farm plebiscite to determine the grain monopoly's future.

The Conservatives are pressing ahead with an election promise to make participation in the wheat board voluntary, a change that many believe would fundamentally undermine the world's biggest wheat marketer.

The proposal has the combined majority opposition in the House of Commons up in arms.

Agriculture critics from the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois held a joint news conference Tuesday to denounce recent government moves as "unprecedented, unethical and undemocratic."

The opposition MPs want the Commons agriculture committee to hold emergency hearings next week to hear from wheat board advocates who they say are being muzzled.

Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl issued a statement Tuesday, defending the decision to remove 36 per cent of the 44,578 producers on the preliminary board voters list because they made no deliveries in the past two years.

"It is my belief that this decision will result in a more equitable election process that empowers western grain farmers," said Strahl.

Speaking with reporters, Strahl refused to commit to a plebiscite before any board move to a voluntary basis. Western wheat farmers have been compelled by law since 1943 to sell only through the board.

[Ron]

what the ffff hell does the bloq have to do with the CWB. Oh yeah, it helps keep feed prices down in the Homeland of central canada

[mustardman]

Ron the reason the Bloc is concerned has to do with supply management. They are afraid the conservatives, after ending the wheat board, would then move on to end the supply managed area (milk and eggs] even though this is the only sector in agriculture that consistently makes any money. The conservatives -when in opposition- wanted to move WTO talks ahead by giving this sector away. They wouldn't try this with a minority but with a majority ????

[TOM4CWB]

Mustardman;

THe Conservative Party of Canada voted on this matter at the national convention in 2005.

Supply Management is safe and secure by a vote of Conservative Delegates themselves. I have never heard PM Harper ever express a desire to override his own Conservative COnsitution and Party.

He is simply carrying out election promises they said they would deal with.

Media SPIN... slow news days... and Left wing Communism... at it's screeching pitch

Next thing we will hear is that they need the CWB to keep grain prices DOWN... to feed poor CDN consumers that pay too much for their Beer and Bread!

[mustardman]

TOM4CWB, The cosnservatives might have voted by delegates to keep supply managed system in place, but the motive was suspect, they want votes in Quebec. don't forget that quaint little group called Canadian Citizens Coalition - headed by Mr. Harper- they were against the CWB and against supply management. Nothing has changed.
He's smart enough politically to know that he could end the CWB without losing many votes as long as the liberals are leaderless, however the Quebec situtation is far different, they need Quebec, if they didn't the Canadian Citizens Coalition 's mandate
would be steaming Right ahead.

[TOM4CWB]

I like your Logic Mustardman!

You seem to forget the Conservatives have a MINORITY... and need Quebec seats to get a majority in the next general election.

THis is pure fear mongering...

nothing else.


The two issues are unconnected...

other than Supply Mangement wanting the power of the CWB to keep feed prices DOWN.

[agstar77]

Latest polls show Reform/cons in dead heat with Liberals. So you don't think Quebec will play in their decisions? They have also lost support in the West. This may force them to put on hold any controversial measures.

[Braveheart]

I don't believe that supply management has much if anything to do with the Bloc asking hard questions about CWB reform. Quebec is a fairly socialist province/culture. Co-operatives, marketing boards, and gov't support for agriculture are all big issues in QC.

Anytime I presented to the Agriculture Committee in Ottawa, the Bloc, more than the Liberal members, were the ones that thought farmers would/should benefit from a single desk marketer.

One has to wonder though why a party existing only in QC and not accountable in any way to western farmers has any right to decide our future. The election of the Harper gov't when they ran openly on their CWB positon should have sent the message to the Bloc to just go with the flow.

[AdamSmith]

Judging by Prime Minister Harper's response to Wayne Easter's call for a plebicite today in Question Period.

(God, I've got to get a life)

I wouldn't be expecting one anytime soon.

And I don't think he's too worried about losing any seats over the cwb file. He knows his constituants and he knows what they want.

It's great to see the PM taking the lead here. Chuck Strahl stood up to respond to Easter, but quickly sat down when he saw the Prime Minister rise.

[TOM4CWB]

Adam...

It is scarry isn't it!

But I did get a bunch of non-CWB wheat placed... some beans... glad I didn't need a single desk to talk to... the CWB phone lines have been too busy lately to talk to those folks!

[agstar77]

But where do you find time to listen to question period and why ?

[TOM4CWB]

Agstar77;

Question Period is now part of marketing information... as the CWB's future performance is being determined.

Good people are spending valuble time trying to fix an organisation that is suicidal. I hope the CWB management snap out of this depression soon.

Otherwise PM Harper will have no choice but to take more drastic action.