OTTAWA (Staff) — Prairie grain farmers would be more careful with their votes if they knew the Canadian Wheat Board advisory committee had real power, said Reform MP Leon Benoit (Vegreville).
As it stands, the committee has no real power, and farmers consistently elect a committee majority strongly in favor of orderly marketing and expanded wheat board powers, he said.
The Reform Party believes the board should be farmer-run with fewer restrictions on farmer options and more market competition for the board.
At the same time, it promotes the importance of more farmer democracy and less reliance on the advice of farm leaders with vested interests and inflexible positions. During a news conference, Benoit made a pitch for more farmer democracy.
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Why then, he was asked, doesn’t Reform change its views on the CWB, since farmers vote for advisory committee members with views quite different from Reform. Isn’t this the kind of direct farmer democracy that Reform promotes?
Benoit suggested the advisory committee elections do not produce candidates who really reflect farmers’ views about the need for more market options. He suggested farmers do not take the advisory committee or the elections seriously.
