SASKATOON – The Saskatchewan government will go to court if that’s what it takes to save the Canadian Wheat Board, says premier Roy Romanow.
He made the pledge during an appearance before the annual convention of the National Farmers Union last week.
“Any court challenge will be met by us in court every step of the way in support of the Canadian Wheat Board,” Romanow said.
The wheat board is being challenged in court on several fronts.
The Alberta Barley Commission and a number of individual farmers have launched a Charter of Rights challenge, with final arguments being heard this week in Winnipeg. The Alberta government has two cases on the go, one challenging the legality of the board’s contracting program and the other looking for a ruling on whether the province is subject to the same rules as individual farmers shipping grain across the border.
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There is also talk the board’s monopoly could face a challenge based on the Indian Act and the argument that CWB rules governing cross-border shipments to the U.S. should not apply to Indians.
The premier found a friendly audience as he voiced his government’s support for single-desk selling of wheat and barley through the wheat board and rejected the idea that the board can function in a dual market.
And he assured one questioner the provincial government pays more attention to the opinions of a democratically structured organization like the NFU than to ad hoc groups like Farmers For Justice.
Total support
“We’re 101 percent behind you on the Canadian Wheat Board issue,” he said.
Speaking to reporters later, Romanow said the provincial government hasn’t yet decided what role, if any, it will play in the campaign leading up to this winter’s barley marketing vote. He said that will be determined by the ground rules for the vote and by what some of the other players in the debate do.
“If interests with large sums of money, interests which may not even be Canadian-based at heart, are in there with huge sums of dollars to campaign and advertise on this issue, that wouldn’t be a fair fight,” he said.
“I think the other side of the story has to be told and to that extent the government of Saskatchewan would certainly reserve the right to dedicate some amount of money in that eventuality.”
