Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz says the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly issue will be settled this year.
On Tuesday Ritz is expected to table legislation — An Act to reorganize the Canadian Wheat Board and to make consequential and related amendments to certain Act — that will end the 68-year-old monopoly once approved.
In a speech in Acme, Alta., on Monday, Ritz vowed that the majority Conservatives will make sure the bill clears Parliament by December so the monopoly will end Aug. 1, 2012.
He said Conservatives made a “handshake” deal with farmers in the May election to end the monopoly.
“Not only do we plan to introduce this legislation, but we intend to pass this legislation very quickly,” he told a supportive crowd on an Alberta farm.
“Let me be clear. The Harper government intends to pass this historic legislation by the end of this calendar year.”
CWB chair Allen Oberg quickly promised to use board funds to take the Conservatives to court. The board of directors will decide what to do next week after studying the legislation.
During his speech in Alberta, Ritz said the May 2 Conservative election victory was prairie farmer consent to end the CWB monopoly since virtually all ridings in the CWB area voted Conservative.
“The Canadian Wheat Board that was born in a different time to meet different needs has cast a chill over key parts of the grain sector of Western Canada in today’s reality,” he said.
“The six decade-old Canadian Wheat Board is yesterday’s solution to yesterday’s problem. The fact is today’s farmers are entrepreneurs.”
He insisted the Conservatives want prairie farmers to have a choice between a voluntary wheat board or the open market.
Oberg insisted it is a false choice.
For more detail and more reactions see the full story in the Oct. 20 edition of The Western Producer.
