REALITY CHECK
In response to Glen Sawyer’s letter (Feb. 19), I would like to set him straight on the reality of “freedom of choice.”
It is obvious that Sawyer believes that if he says it loud enough and often enough, it must be true that freedom of choice is good for prairie farmers.
What has transpired since the federal government unilaterally dismantled the CWB is a far cry from what was promised.
Increased competition would drive grain prices up, they said. New markets and increased domestic consumption would be a given, they said.
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Better rail movement would be inevitable, they said.
The sad truth is that none of these promises have materialized.
You don’t have to look far to find news articles about how the multinational grain companies have profited greatly since the CWB was destroyed.
The farmers share of the export price of wheat has dropped to 50 percent, a drastic decrease from the 80 percent we used to get.
But, you get paid immediately. That’s quite the trade-off.
Rail movement of our grain has been dismal and we see no improvement in the future.
Market transparency is non-existent. The so-called “new” CWB cannot compete with the multinationals in any way. The port facilities are wholly controlled by the multinationals. The CWB does not currently have the cross-country infrastructure to make them a viable entity. All the while, market forces (freedom of choice) have driven the grain prices down.
The federal government recently announced the granting of $750,000 to a Winnipeg company to provide what I can already find in this newspaper and on-line — data and information relating to grain marketing. The new Price Data Quotation (PDQ) program has no teeth and all the information gathered from the grain companies is on a volunteer basis.
Why bother? This looks to me like patronage to a company that was clearly in support of the dismantling of the CWB. Somewhere down the road, someone will have to pay for this program. I’m betting it won’t be the federal government.
If there is any glimmer of hope in this situation, it will be with the federal election slated for the fall. Four years of prime minister Stephen Harper’s majority government have set farmers back 50 years.
Hopefully, enough people will recognize this and exercise their democratic right and vote A.B.C.
Neil T. Gorda,
Willingdon, Alta.
ANTI-ENVIRONMENT BILL
Prime minister Stephen Harper has silenced scientists and others who speak up against climate change. He has called environmentalists terrorists.
Now, he is trying to take advantage of our fear of terrorism by hiding clauses within Bill C-51. This would allow the surveillance and criminalization of peaceful Canadian citizens and have nothing to do with fighting terrorism.
According to Thomas Mulcair, Bill C-51 would give Canada’s spy agency (CSIS) new powers for surveillance of peaceful citizens and could place them on no-fly lists without their knowledge. They may be arrested and jailed without cause.
With Bill C-51, Canadians could be targeted for protesting against pipelines, for speaking out against climate change, for assembling together in public without a permit or for disrupting economic activity.
First Nations citizens would be targeted for surveillance and arrest for protesting the fracking, uranium mining or oil extraction which threaten their clean water supply.
In 2012, Harper passed Bill C-45 with similar hidden clauses. These clauses have removed all environmental protections from 99.99 percent of Canada’s lakes, rivers and waterways (making it legal for oil companies to spill oil and bitumen into our waterways).
Don’t let Harper use his dictatorial-style of changing legislation, to pass Bill C-51.
This bill deserves full input from all federal parties for close scrutiny and crucial amendments.
Say no to Harper.
Jackie Lewis,
Bancroft, Ont.
MANITOBA’S SHAME
In 2006, Manitoba had the distinction of being the No. 1 hog producer in Canada with over nine million animals. Then in 2009 there were too many hogs, and barns were shut down, herds were culled, feed prices were high. South Korea no longer imported hogs from Canada, and governments subsidized this meat exporting industry (at taxpayers expense).
Now the complaints are not enough hogs? (Staying off the hog production roller coaster, Man. Co-operator, March 5).
What’s next? One has to ask. The answer is “our waters.”
Manitoba is a province recognized as having more than 100,000 lakes. And with so much water, we disgracefully neglect to look after these finite sources, as we know we should.
One situation here is that the hog factories hide under the skirts of farming, and are not industry regulated.
Excess, untreated waste manure eventually finds its way into water sources and Manitobans can shamefully boast that they live in a province that has the distinction of having Lake Winnipeg, the most polluted lake in the world.
John Fefchak,
Virden, Man.
LETTER TO MCDONALD’S
To the Editor, for McDonald’s Restaurants:
In our farm’s efforts to farm in a sustainable way by identifying and eliminating those aspects of agriculture that are most problematic, you are hereby notified that you are no longer eligible to purchase products originating from our farm.
As you are well aware, there is a tremendous cost, both economic and environmental, to produce the agricultural products that sustain our population.
However, there is no possible way to sustainably supply unsustainable consumption and waste.
Farmers, globally, in their ongoing efforts to supply this unrestrained consumption and waste, are trying to farm sustainably but are undeniably unable to supply the increasing demand while at the same time reducing their impact on the environment.
Your published and publicly stated commitment to sustainability ensures me that you will want to quickly comply with the following guidelines for global sustainability.
1. You will require each of your customers to complete a consumption sustainability calculator prior to purchasing any food products from you.
This Consumption Sustainability Calculator will be forthcoming to you as it is developed. It will determine, for the consumer, the calories they have consumed in the prior 24-hour period, relative to their need, and will inform them if they are eating sustainably for the planet and are thereby eligible to purchase more food for that day and in what quantity.
You will not sell to those who are thus determined to be wasteful due to their own over consumption.
2. You will no longer sell food to those who will waste it. This guideline will be easily accomplished in conjunction with guideline #3. Please keep records of the names of those individuals who deliberately waste food and you will forward that list to us on a quarterly basis.
3. You will eliminate the thousands of tons of road-side litter and landfill destined refuse that is generated from your outlets each day by simply removing the drive-thru windows in each outlet and using reusable dishes and cutlery.
4. You will eliminate the waste that is generated by disposing of food that has passed its expiry date. This is done by simply only ordering that amount of product that will be consumed, in its entirety, prior to its expiry date.
Please publish your anticipated compliance date in any major newspaper or news network.
I am sure you can understand how important it is to work together towards sustainability and that each must do their part.
Please be informed that Unilever, Walmart and others will be receiving similar notification.
When you have implemented the above guidelines and are no longer at risk of hypocrisy induced public relations embarrassment, we can quickly renew our mutually profitable relationship.
Travis Hatch,
Sunset House, Alta.
GOOD SCIENCE SPEAKING
The letter to the editor entitled “Who to believe?” (WP Feb. 12) raises a question that we, as part of the entire canola industry, pay significant attention to.
Our industry’s investment in canola oil research is directed to qualified academics, including many lipid scientists, whose work is published in peer-reviewed journals.
We rely on this high standard of quality and credibility to provide us with facts on canola oil’s role in a healthy diet.
Canola oil, which is high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat, has a wealth of scientific evidence (both industry and non-industry funded) to show it is heart-healthy. One of the latest studies, published in the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes Care, showed that canola oil can help control blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes when included as part of a low glycemic-load diet. Also, refined canola oil is a source of both omega 6 and 3 fatty acids that are essential for good nutrition.
It is also interesting that the letter’s author quickly dismisses information from “paid industry spokespersons” and relies on someone like Dr. Udo Erasmus, who is marketing his own products.
As farmers, whether we are making the decision about which variety to grow or what cooking oil to put in our pantry, good science is driving those decisions.
Canola Council of Canada grower directors:
Brian Chorney, East Selkirk, Man.Colin Felstad, Dapp, Alta.
Terry Youzwa, Nipawin, Sask.
Brett Halstead, Nokomis, Sask.
CPP INVESTMENT SORROW
I was shocked to read in the Western Producer about the extent of land purchases by Canada Pension Plan et al. in Saskatchewan. (WP “Is it time to relax ownership restrictions?” Feb. 26.)
This corporate land grab is, however, not unique in this world.
The same CPP invests heavily in foreign Canadian mining, such as in Central America, Guatemala and Honduras, where indigenous peoples have precious little to say about the companies marching in and displacing them, and where people suffer more than bloated mortgages as a consequence of corporate greed.
Try Googling such documentaries as “Goldfever” and “Defensora.”
Such is the sorrow.
Angelica Herlihy,
Grand Forks, B.C.
