SASKATOON – The first public cracks have appeared within the coalition of farm groups trying to buy the federal government’s grain cars.
The 10 organizations managed to set aside their philosophical differences over the past few months while putting their bid together.
The first public spit in the 10-member coalition appeared with the recent election of National Farmers Union member Jim Robbins to represent the coalition on a committee devising new rules for allocating rail cars.
“There certainly are a lot of groups who do not feel that Jim particularly represents their point of view,” said Paul Earl of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association.
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Reform party agriculture critic Elwin Hermanson said he has been hearing from some in the grain industry that Robbins is too left wing, adding “I agree with them.”
In an effort to placate its unhappy members, the coalition has decided Earl will act as an informal adviser to Robbins and join him at meetings of the four-member Car Allocation Policy Group, which also includes one representative each from the railways, grain companies and the Canadian Wheat Board.
Robbins said he is unperturbed by the controversy about his appointment.
“I’ve got fairly thick skin,” he said in an interview from his farm at Laura, Sask.
While Robbins is a longtime NFU activist, he also has experience in grain transportation issues, having served on the senior grain transportation committee and on the senior executive officers committee.
“I think the coalition chose me because I’ve been so heavily involved in these issues for the last year,” he said. “For me it would not be starting at the beginning.”
While making no secret of his belief that farmers would not be well served by a totally deregulated transportation system, Robbins said his personal views are “really not all that relevant in the circumstances.”
He said his job will be to take to the committee the views the rail car coalition wants represented and to report back on the views of the rail car allocation policy group.
That’s the stance taken by coalition chair Sinclair Harrison, who said Robbins was elected by due process and will put forward the coalition’s views, not his own.
Earl said he personally holds Robbins in high regard and believes him to be a fair person, but in the highly charged politics of the grain industry, perception can be as important as reality.
Part of the problem, he said, is that by taking part in discussions on future car allocation policy, the coalition is trying do something it was never intended for.
“It was put together to buy rail cars, not to be a farm organization spokesperson on broader issues,” he said.
Ironically, Robbins also came in for come criticism that he is too even-handed and middle of the road.
Former NFU president and now Liberal MP Wayne Easter said he would like to see a “harder-nosed” person on the policy group. All the farm groups agree there should be at least one farmer. That’s happening despite the opposition of the senior executive officers committee which is still disputing whether Robbins will have a vote.
For now, he’s on the committee setting up a mandate for the car allocation policy group.
