ST. ANDREWS-BY-THE-SEA, N.B. — Amid the general congeniality of last week’s federal-provincial agriculture ministers’ meeting, the Canadian Wheat Board issue emerged as one of the few bare-knuckle battles.
Manitoba New Democratic Party minister Stan Struthers squared off against federal Conservative minister Gerry Ritz over federal plans to end the CWB single desk on Aug. 1, 2012.
Other western ministers sided with Ritz.
Manitoba, worried about the loss of wheat board jobs in Winnipeg and the future of the Port of Churchill and short-line railways, insists Ottawa must call a vote among grain producers before proceeding.
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Ottawa, represented by Ritz, insists a farmer vote is not necessary. The May 2 Conservative majority with strong prairie support is enough of a mandate.
The debate was fierce.
“I think frank would be putting it mildly,” said Saskatchewan minister Bob Bjornerud.
“Minister Ritz is not shy, nor am I,” added Struthers. “We exchanged pretty honest and frank views on this.”
The ministers’ final communiqué said only that they had “reiterated their positions” on the CWB monopoly.
But in the face of Manitoba’s resolute stand against ending the monopoly without farmer approval, ministers from Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia issued a statement supporting the end of the monopoly.
“Stan believes his convictions are right and that’s why you saw Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. come together, the new west partnership,” said Bjornerud.
“We thought it was important to give Ritz a little more support.”
The three-province declaration drew immediate praise from prairie grain groups opposed to the monopoly and their national voice, Grain Growers of Canada.
Although what some ministers described as a fiery confrontation happened in private, some of the animosity spilled into public when ministers held their post meeting news conference.
Ritz was asked if he is concerned about a lawsuit from Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board challenging the government’s right to repeal the Canadian Wheat Board Act and its requirement for a farmer plebiscite before changes are made.
“In a democracy with rule of law, there always are court challenges that come forward on sides that don’t agree with other sides,” he said.
“Certainly, we take those seriously but at the end of the day, this comes down to the supremacy of Parliament.”
Struthers, who was not scheduled to speak at the news conference, jumped in.
“I appreciate the frankness of the federal government and the opportunity to meet as we did and exchange views on that, but Manitoba’s position is different than what the federal government’s is and we’ll continue to express that difference and continue to call for a producer vote on the future of their own marketing agency.”
Ritz did not pass on the chance to respond, noting that Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. support Ottawa and Manitoba is a minor player in grain production.
“It’s not just the federal government,” he told the news conference.
“It’s three other provinces that control 90 percent of the wheat grown under the wheat board.”
In a later interview, Struthers said he demanded a business case analysis by Ottawa for ending the single desk and was given nothing. He said it appears to be ideology rather than business sense.
Struthers said the Conservatives refuse to hold a farmer vote because they know they would lose.
“We think the only reason they’re not doing a vote is they know the result.”
