POINTE-AU-PIC, Que. – If it sticks to its traditional policy positions, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture will find little good to say this month about the Western Grain Marketing Panel recommendations to weaken the Canadian Wheat Board.
However, this time as the CFA struggles to find a position on the board, it may not be that simple.
The federation, strongly influenced in the past by its prairie wheat pool members, traditionally has supported maintaining CWB monopoly powers over export wheat and barley and adding other grains if farmers vote to do so.
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But when CFA board members meet by telephone Aug. 12 for a conference call to iron out a response to marketing panel recommendations that feed barley sales be on the open market and no new grains be added to the board, it likely will not be a simple matter of affirming traditional policy.
A preliminary discussion at last week’s CFA summer board meeting showed some member hesitation to take a strong stand against the panel.
Prairie Pools Inc. is divided over the report, with each member pool deciding to take its own, often differing positions. They were reluctant to see CFA take a strong stand.
Supply management groups, supported by Ontario and Quebec general farm organizations, oppose the panel report and are lobbying for a strong CFA position in favor of the wheat board.
“It was odd,” said one CFA board member from a supply management agency after more than one hour was spent in private session July 26 debating the wheat board issue. “Here you have supply management and Quebec and Ontario saying we have to come out strong on this and the pools looking uncomfortable because they are divided.”
Pools divided
CFA president Jack Wilkinson said in an interview that part of the problem is the pools, divided between Saskatchewan’s strong criticisms and Alberta’s more sympathetic view, are not showing leadership on something that has traditionally been considered their issue.
“At the same time, you have CFA members from outside the prairies saying we have to stick with long-standing policy making sure we support marketing structures with enough teeth to effectively manage the commodity they are selling to return a fair share to producers,” he said.
“They are very concerned about what they see as continuing attacks on marketing structures in Canada, this being one of them.”
The proposed statement to be used for discussion Aug. 12 supports single-desk selling of wheat and barley, insists on a farmer plebiscite before any major changes are made and supports adding more grains if farmers vote for it.
