Parsley,
Did you know about the Parliamentary hearings last week about the CWB?
I was sent this by someone who presented to the Standing Committee on Agriculture.
"The member from Thunder Bay—Rainy River , when referring to trade agreements in his second question-statement, should know that the CWB has a legal obligation to live up to the obligations of their international Trade Agreements, which includes NAFTA. Although Iagree with Mr.Boshcoff that another future trade battle against the CWB is brewing, that very action can be prevented by the Wheat Board itself.
First of all, the CWB Act requires that the CWB must comply with NAFTA. Section 61 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act which states:
"Implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
61.1(1) In exercising its powers and performing its duties, the Corporation shall give effect to the provisions of the Agreement [NAFTA] that pertain to the Corporation."
Secondly, the CWB export prohibition of off-Board feed grain contravenes NAFTA. I will explain why. A Canadian company can buy feed grain directly from a farmer. Or a feed lot can buy it, etc. This feed grain moves freely throughout Canada. It is called off-Board grain. However, when an American buyer wants to purchase that same off-Board grain, he cannot, because the Wheat Board will not issue the necessary export license to move the grain across the border. The CWB only allows the grain to cross the border if the CWB themselves, (and not the farmers), own the grain. The CWB claim they get a better price than the farmer. That being so,Canadian companies are able to buy cheap off-Board feed grain from the Canadian farmer whilst Americans can only buy expensive Wheat Board grains and cannot buy from the Candian farmer at all. Simply put, according to NAFTA, American cattlemen should be able to buy off-board feed grain at the same price that the Canadian cattlemen now enjoy. Because this is not happening, there is a contravention of NAFTA resuting from the CWB licencing policy of prohibiting exports of off-Board feed grain, which is a good in the stream of Trade and Commerce in Canada, and consequently, the CWB is in violation of Article 309 of NAFTA which forbids such export prohibitions.
Since American livestock producers cannot access the same off-board feed grains that Canadian feeders presently can, the valid trade dispute threat is countervail penalties of exports of livestock and products into the United States. If the American cattlemen head off to the dispute panel attacking off-Board restrictions, the CWB is squarely to blame.
Therefore, the only legal solution is for the Minister to order the CWB to grant export licenses to Designated Area farmers." I Believe it was Carol Husband who presented this.
An "Order in Council" exempting ungraded wheat and barley... as "not for the purposes of the Canada Grain Act... and not for the purposes of the CWB Act... under the section 61 NAFTA section in the CWB Act... would bring the CWB into compliance.
There then would be no need for a vote on barley, or wheat.
The CWB keeps it's monopoly over CGC offically graded and exported wheat and barley... ungraded wheat and barley is then exempt from the CGC and CWB.
Just like what was in effect... before 1993 before Goodale's Liberals took office.
Did you know about the Parliamentary hearings last week about the CWB?
I was sent this by someone who presented to the Standing Committee on Agriculture.
"The member from Thunder Bay—Rainy River , when referring to trade agreements in his second question-statement, should know that the CWB has a legal obligation to live up to the obligations of their international Trade Agreements, which includes NAFTA. Although Iagree with Mr.Boshcoff that another future trade battle against the CWB is brewing, that very action can be prevented by the Wheat Board itself.
First of all, the CWB Act requires that the CWB must comply with NAFTA. Section 61 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act which states:
"Implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
61.1(1) In exercising its powers and performing its duties, the Corporation shall give effect to the provisions of the Agreement [NAFTA] that pertain to the Corporation."
Secondly, the CWB export prohibition of off-Board feed grain contravenes NAFTA. I will explain why. A Canadian company can buy feed grain directly from a farmer. Or a feed lot can buy it, etc. This feed grain moves freely throughout Canada. It is called off-Board grain. However, when an American buyer wants to purchase that same off-Board grain, he cannot, because the Wheat Board will not issue the necessary export license to move the grain across the border. The CWB only allows the grain to cross the border if the CWB themselves, (and not the farmers), own the grain. The CWB claim they get a better price than the farmer. That being so,Canadian companies are able to buy cheap off-Board feed grain from the Canadian farmer whilst Americans can only buy expensive Wheat Board grains and cannot buy from the Candian farmer at all. Simply put, according to NAFTA, American cattlemen should be able to buy off-board feed grain at the same price that the Canadian cattlemen now enjoy. Because this is not happening, there is a contravention of NAFTA resuting from the CWB licencing policy of prohibiting exports of off-Board feed grain, which is a good in the stream of Trade and Commerce in Canada, and consequently, the CWB is in violation of Article 309 of NAFTA which forbids such export prohibitions.
Since American livestock producers cannot access the same off-board feed grains that Canadian feeders presently can, the valid trade dispute threat is countervail penalties of exports of livestock and products into the United States. If the American cattlemen head off to the dispute panel attacking off-Board restrictions, the CWB is squarely to blame.
Therefore, the only legal solution is for the Minister to order the CWB to grant export licenses to Designated Area farmers." I Believe it was Carol Husband who presented this.
An "Order in Council" exempting ungraded wheat and barley... as "not for the purposes of the Canada Grain Act... and not for the purposes of the CWB Act... under the section 61 NAFTA section in the CWB Act... would bring the CWB into compliance.
There then would be no need for a vote on barley, or wheat.
The CWB keeps it's monopoly over CGC offically graded and exported wheat and barley... ungraded wheat and barley is then exempt from the CGC and CWB.
Just like what was in effect... before 1993 before Goodale's Liberals took office.