Opposition and provincial politicians jumped on the results of the Manitoba’s plebiscite on the Canadian Wheat Board during Manitoba Ag Days, warning the federal agriculture minister to heed them.
“These were very strong results,” said federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton during a visit to the show.
Liberal MP Ken Dryden, recently a contender in the party’s leadership contest, said the federal government’s handling of the issue has made it a national issue.
“It is a political issue across the country, not just the immediate area,” said Dryden, who also visited the show.
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“I think absolutely that people in downtown Toronto are paying attention in terms of the wheat board.”
Manitoba agriculture minister Rosann Wowchuk, who ordered the plebiscite, said the more than 60 percent of farmers who voted in favour of maintaining the barley monopoly and almost 70 percent who voted to keep the wheat monopoly have expressed a clear opinion.
She attacked federal agriculture minister Chuck Strahl’s attempts to paint the plebiscite as loaded.
“It was farm groups from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba who all got together and designed a question,” said Wowchuk, who announced the results at the show.
“It was not designed by government. We respected the producers for the question that they wanted asked, and I think we want the same thing from the federal government. Show some respect for the producers because this is their organization.”
The Manitoba vote has no legal power, but provincial Progressive Conservative leader Hugh McFadyen said he wasn’t surprised by the results and he didn’t criticize the question asked.
“It’s a result that has to be noted by the federal government,” said McFadyen.
“Five thousand producers have expressed support for the single desk and that has to be taken seriously by the federal government.”
No federal government ministers attended Manitoba Ag Days.
Larry Bohdanovich, an organizer of the pro-monopoly Real Voice For Choice, said the results of the vote were “very encouraging” and settled the question of what Manitoba farmers think.
Layton said he plans to use the Manitoba plebiscite results to put Strahl on the spot in the House of Commons.
“We’re asking the minister not to interfere,” said Layton.
