The campaign to retain the Canadian Wheat Board needs allies outside agriculture and across the country, farmers attending a Nov. 17 meeting were told.
The people leading efforts to save the board and fight attempts to change it are running out of cash and energy.
The Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board has spent most of its bank account on advertising and legal fees challenging the federal government’s decision to remove barley from the board.
Bob Roehle told the meeting that the loosely knit organization probably needs another $100,000 to keep up its work.
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“We’ve raised about $140,000 in total,” he told the meeting, organized by the Save My CWB campaign. “Manitoba and Saskatchewan (governments) have been fairly generous up to this point.”
But the change in government in Saskatchewan will cost the Friends of the CWB money. Incoming premier Brad Wall has already rejected sending more money to help those who want to save the board.
Saskatchewan contributed $72,000 and Manitoba has given the group $20,000. Roehle said the funds will have to be found elsewhere.
Laurence Nicholson, Alberta co-chair of Real Voice for Choice, said raising money in his province is more challenging. He said the Alberta government has spent millions to support the other side of the issue.
“We asked for $50,000 and we’ve been turned down four times,” he said.
Agricultural commissions in Alberta earn $42 million from checkoffs, he noted.
“If we could have a farm organization that only got half of that,” he mused.
One farmer at the meeting asked if it would be better to have one organization leading the fight.
Nicholson said Real Voice for Choice leaders were running out of energy.
“To go under one umbrella, it would be great, but there would have to be more give and take than there is now,” he said. “All of us need financial resources and we need good people who will get out there and spread the word.”
Larry Hubich, president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, said farmers are similar to workers in that they have more power and strength if they stick together.
He pledged that the 93,000 union members who fall under the SFL banner would stand with farmers who want the right to collectively market their grain.
Save My CWB spokesperson Ken Sigurdson said it would look for support to take the fight across Canada.
