Two Saskatchewan politicians with competing visions over the future of the Canadian Wheat Board argued last week over which had the bigger polls.
During an Oct. 25 meeting of the House of Commons agriculture committee, Conservative MP David Anderson accused New Democratic Party provincial agriculture minister Mark Wartman of not representing many of his farmer voters with his pro-CWB stand.
Anderson was complaining that the Saskatchewan government had helped a pro-board lobby Real Voice for Choice develop a proposal for Ottawa on a proper question for a CWB producer plebiscite. He said the government was not being honest by trying to hide its involvement.
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“You’re not representing half of your producers and I think you’re aware of that.”
“You don’t know that,” Wartman shot back. “In fact, you may not be representing 75 percent of your producers in your particular area, according to what some of the farmers in your area tell me.”
Wartman said there is nothing wrong with a pro-farmer department helping farmers. Later, Wartman also got a shot in at Alberta agriculture minister Doug Horner and his anti-monopoly stand.
Nova Scotia Liberal Robert Thibault wondered if, given the divisions between provinces, it would be possible to divide the Prairies with a monopoly operating where it is wanted and a free market operating where it is not.
Wartman said it is possible but “you want to know could you have both a Canadian Wheat Board and a separate seller?” It might be possible that with “a Man-Sask Wheat Board and the Alberta chaos, you could do that.”
Horner laughed and Wartman then gave a longer answer that basically said “no.”
