The opposition parliamentary Canadian Wheat Board critic is promising a “full court press” of tactics this winter in Parliament to derail or delay government plans to end the CWB monopoly.
Veteran Winnipeg MP Pat Martin, whose Winnipeg Centre riding includes CWB head office, said part of the strategy will be a united opposition demand that when the bill gets to the agriculture committee for detailed study, the committee will hold hearings across the Prairies to give farmers a voice.
With a short time frame to get the legislation through Parliament to meet the government’s deadline of ending the monopoly on July 31, 2012, some Conservative MPs are expected to oppose time-consuming travel in favour of having farm groups appear in Ottawa.
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Prairie hearings also could become focal points for farmer protests in favour of the CWB.
But Martin said he expects Conservative MPs on the committee will support travel since they are not giving affected farmers a vote on the issue. The CWB is conducting an informal plebiscite that many antimonopoly farmers say they are boycotting and the government says will have no impact on its decision.
“We’ll be pushing for hearings outside Ottawa and I frankly expect there will be co-operation in touring on this issue,” the official opposition critic said Aug. 12 from British Columbia. “The Conservatives would be hard-pressed to deny that fundamental element of our parliamentary democracy. They are already vulnerable in denying the statutory vote.”
The Conservatives are expected to introduce legislation to rescind the Canadian Wheat Board Act and bring in new legislation when Parliament resumes Sept. 19.
A July 31, 2012, deadline announced by agriculture minister Gerry Ritz means getting the bill through the House before it rises in mid-June, 2012 for the summer. Regulations for the complicated post-monopoly world also would have to be written.
In parliamentary terms, the time-line is very tight.
Martin said that even with its majority, the Conservative government can expect a tough fight from a united NDP, Liberal, Bloc Québecois and Green party opposition.
“They should count on a heck of a lot of House time if they plan to get this bill through because we’re going to do a full court press,” he said. “So without exaggeration, I say the Conservatives are in for the fight of their lives on this issue in this session.”
He said the NDP will use a Sept. 13-15 caucus retreat in Quebec City to plan strategy to oppose the government plan.
Martin said CWB chair Allen Oberg and at least one other director will be at the meeting to brief caucus on the issue.
Late last week, Oberg said he had not yet been invited.
“But I’m happy to meet with any caucus on this,” he said. “I’m not ruling out that possibility.”
