Unless the government offers prairie grain farmers some marketing choice outside the Canadian Wheat Board, the reformed board could become too polarized and political to be effective, a critical senator told wheat board minister Ralph Goodale last week. Elections to the new board of directors will become ideological contests over monopoly marketing rather than debates […] Read more
Stories by Barry Wilson
Lobby fights grain’s special pass
Despite intensifying lobby efforts from opponents, a House Commons committee has approved Canada Labor Code amendments that would exempt west coast grain movement from being grounded by third-party labor disputes. But as the legislation goes back to the Commons for two more stages of debate before heading to the Senate, opponents are vowing the fight […] Read more
CWB critic tries to entice support from Ontario MPs
A prairie critic of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly tried to drive a wedge into the government caucus last week by pleading with Ontario Liberal MPs to give prairie wheat growers what Ontario farmers soon will have – a marketing choice. Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association president Larry Maguire suggested it is unjustifiable and undemocratic […] Read more
Federal politicians should listen to each other
By definition, Parliament is a place where people talk, based on the French verb parler, to talk. From time to time, it would be helpful if the place was called Ecoutiament, based on the French verb ecouter, to listen. There are times when the politicians who make their living with words seem unable to catch […] Read more
Levy not only way to create back-up fund: Goodale
Ottawa’s controversial proposal to create a Canadian Wheat Board contingency fund as part of the new board safety net system need not become a check-off tax on farmers, wheat board minister Ralph Goodale said last week. He told the Senate agriculture committee April 30 the new majority-elected board of directors could decide to raise the […] Read more
Prairie Conservative MP won’t seek leadership
The federal Progressive Conservative party plans to unveil its new leader no later than Nov. 14, and perhaps three weeks earlier. It will be the fourth in five years and 18th in the party’s 131-year history. The party’s sole prairie MP says he will not be a candidate. “I have ruled out running myself,” Brandon-Souris […] Read more
OTTAWA NOTEBOOK
He has had little success trying to convince the federal government to help rained-out Peace River farmers. Now, Reform MP Jay Hill is turning his gaze westward. The Reform agriculture critic and Peace River MP last week asked British Columbia agriculture minister Corky Evans to request aid from Ottawa for part-time farmers affected by two […] Read more
Public opposition delays MAI deal six months
Negotiations on a treaty to govern international investment have been put on hold for the next half-year as politicians try to take stock of the impact of noisy public opposition. Negotiations on a Multilateral Agreement on Investment were supposed to be completed at a Paris meeting last week. Instead, a number of governments expressed opposition […] Read more
Farmers want more choice, senators tell Goodale
Prairie farmers are deeply divided over government proposals to change the Canadian Wheat Board and unrest will follow if farmers are not given more marketing choices, several senators told CWB minister Ralph Goodale last week. After weeks of public hearings, the Senate agriculture committee called Goodale before them as a last witness before considering how […] Read more
Farmers may lose in grain tug of war
Driving across the Prairies to his Vermilion, Alta., farm last month gave Doug Livingstone a chance to see the spread of the latest craze to hit the grain industry. Call it concrete mania. “I delivered a bull to Manitoba and what struck me as I drove was the amount of construction going on,” said the […] Read more
