Federal agriculture minister Chuck Strahl used the backdrop of a speech to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce to announce more money for flood-stricken farmers in the province’s northeast.
But it was the backdrop of marketing choice that drew the most attention.
The only questions asked of the minister at the end of his address were from farmers and all dealt with the issue of the Canadian Wheat Board’s export monopoly.
National Farmers Union president Stewart Wells chastised Strahl for writing op-ed pieces in newspapers at the same time that he has restricted the Canadian Wheat Board from participating in the debate. And, he questioned what Strahl wrote.
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“I think you’re saying things that you don’t even actually believe,” Wells suggested.
One example, he said, is Strahl encouraging farmers to vote because it’s their democratic right to have a say about their board.
“If you actually believed the board belonged to farmers, you would not have imposed a gag order,” said Wells. “You’re stopping the farmers who actually own and run and control the wheat board from putting forward a case.”
But Strahl replied that the restriction on the board applied to it spending money to take sides on the issue. He earned applause from the audience when he said anybody could speak out on the issue but couldn’t spend farmers’ money to do it.
The minister later told reporters that he remains committed to giving farmers marketing choice for both wheat and barley. He said farmers are ready to move on barley because they already market a lot of their own, but it isn’t yet time to move on wheat.
Strahl also announced an extra $40 million will be added to the cover crop protection program, bringing the total to $90 million.
About 20,000 farmers applied, requiring an increase in funding.
