Politicians studying proposals to change the way the Canadian Grain Commission works heard a strong argument last week to ignore a proposal to get rid of regional assistant commissioners.
Conrad Johnson, a grain producer from the Climax, Sask., area and chair of the Great Western Railway short line, told MPs Oct. 5 that the commission needs representatives “on the ground” to deal with disputes and farmer concerns.
A consultant’s report recommended an end to the politically appointed regional assistant commissioners, to be replaced by a Winnipeg-based Office of Grain Farmer Advocacy. It also suggested the present system of three CGC commissioners be replaced by a more traditional corporate structure with a chief executive officer and senior executives reporting to the CEO.
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Johnson said the current three-commissioner system ensures that the decision making system has a more diverse base.
While the regional assistant commissioners should be hired by the commission rather than appointed by the government as patronage payoffs, their role is valuable.
“We want someone in the field working for farmers,” he said. “They should be in the field, not back in Winnipeg at head office.”
Meanwhile, the grain commission requirement that all traders must be licensed and bonded drew fire from North Battleford, Sask., trader Vicki Dutton, a longtime CGC critic.
She told MPs that the cost of buying enough bond protection to cover her company’s liabilities is onerous and farmers should have the right to take the risk of dealing with a buyer that is not bonded, as long as they understand the risk.
“Let me spend my money buying grain and shipping grain,” she said.
Dutton said grain commission restrictions, grading errors and costs are a large issue for her company.
She applauded the Conservative government decision to examine the mandate and operating practices of the CGC, since the impact of commission decisions on the average producer is not always taken into consideration.
“When the wheel hits the pavement, the tread marks are on my face, on the faces of farmers,” she said.
Contracting out inspection services and loosening grain commission rules would be a good thing, as long as the commission remains as the standard setter.
