If government appointed panels/commissions are to be effective, they must be balanced. Such is not the case in several recent agriculture panels set up to study the Canadian Wheat Board marketing system.
The Canada-U.S. Joint Commission, which is inherently biased against Canada’s orderly marketing system, and whose U.S. co-chair is hired by the National Association of Wheat Growers, are well known for targeting the CWB.
Next, we find out that the commissioners are meeting with the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association behind closed doors. When the National Farmers Union asked if presentations were going to be heard, they were told that the meetings were private and that submissions would not be heard. How many other pro-CWB and orderly marketing supporters were told the same thing?
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The more recent grain marketing panel of eminent persons set up by Agriculture Minister Ralph Goodale is more of the same. Of the nine panel members, only two could possibly be seen as CWB supporters. The rest have been quite obvious in their opposition to CWB marketing. There is simply no need for this panel. The overwhelming support for our orderly marketing system shown at last year’s CWB advisory elections is sufficient indication that western grain farmers like their current marketing system.
Should the minister wish to have truly public hearings, why not use the Standing Committee on Agriculture or the CWB Advisory Committee? Why do we need a group of unelected people when we already have two elected bodies under whose jurisdiction this sort of study would fall?
Not only has Agriculture Minister Goodale taken a leaf from Charlie Mayer’s book by “putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop” but he is also attempting to restrict the movement of the “chickens.”
These types of one-sided panels/commissions do little for farmers and nothing to reinstate any confidence in our government.
– Joyce Neufeld,
Waldeck, Sask.
Socialism virus
To the Editor:
R. H. Eldridge (Open Forum, July 6) has exposed himself as never before. He’s the one with the tunnel vision, for he never writes about anything else but to attack socialism. Indeed at the end of his tunnel he has seen nothing else.
First, almost 20 years by Tommy Douglas, then 11 years with Allan Blakeney and by the skin of his teeth he escaped Roy Romanow only to fall into the arms of Mike Harcourt. Poor Mr. Eldridge.
His last paragraph says it all. That socialism virus must have gone to his head.
– Ernest J. Weser, Laird, Sask.
Capitalist plague
To the Editor:
R. H. Eldridge, “Spring Socialists” (Open Forum, July 6), runs roughshod over the poor socialists, almost as if he was a rich capitalist. His data is very questionable, and so is his desire to blame socialists for everything, such as our deficit.
Capitalists have replaced Big Brother with Very Big Banker. Bankers love deficits.
Speaking of viruses, Mr. Eldridge, it’s capitalism that has become a pandemic curse. Not socialism. The socialist virus never had a chance against the capitalistic virus. Capitalism has swallowed nations, religions and morality. So long as left and right don’t pull together, nothing will change for another five thousand years.
– Merlin P. Wozniak,
Wanham, Alta.
B.C. regions
To the Editor:
Re “Focus on B.C. Agriculture,” July 6: With particular reference to “The Regions” in your coverage of the above, I feel you are a bit off base on some of the areas with which I am familiar.
Under “North Coast” you have stated “short frost-free period drastically reduces growing potential.” Terrace is pretty well the centre of this area and there the average probability of last spring frost is May 15 and first fall frost Oct. 16.
You also state “Ranching is number one sector here.” In fact there is very little ranching. The Skeena valley is narrow and flanked by thickly forested mountains – limited hay land and very limited grazing. But riverside benches have excellent alluvial soils that grow good potatoes and cool season vegetables. Potatoes and strawberries do particularly well because soils are generally acid and coarse.
Under “Nechako” you have said “Only 53 frost-free days per year severely limits potential.” Obviously you are referring to a touch of frost, not killing frost
(-2¼C). In the worst part of the area, around Vanderhoof, frost-free days on the basis of killing frost rise to 95, ample for all cool season vegetables.
Also, you have included Smithers, Houston and Hazelton in this region.
Smithers and Houston are in the Bulkley Valley with a more favorable climate than the Vanderhoof area, and Hazelton is on the upper Skeena and has a couple of weeks longer growing season than Smithers, and westward towards Terrace moderation of climate increases.
To put things in perspective perhaps, I have grown potatoes in the Smithers area for over 25 years without damage by frost. Just for fun, in 1990 I entered red Norland potatoes in the Toronto Royal Winter Fair.
To my pleasant surprise, out of 42 entries they were reserve champions.
Nevertheless you are correct that the main production in the Nechako valley (and the Bulkley valley) is forage fed to beef and dairy herds.
My familiarity with areas referred to above comes from 15 years spent as a civil servant travelling between Prince Rupert and Endako, just east of Burns Lake and west of Vanderhoof.
– David Havard,
Smithers, B.C.
Farm recycling
To the Editor:
“Recycling isn’t an option for farm-based readers”? Barb Glen in Notebook column of July 20 is several years behind the times. In my community of Arrow River, it was farm women volunteers who started a recycling depot six years ago. It was so successful that the R. M. of Miniota has incorporated recycling in its overall waste management program.
Hamiota, Man., has also had an enthusiastic and hardworking corps of volunteer recyclers. Western People, in the same issue as Barb Glen’s column, carries a story about recycling in Souris, Man. And there are many others. These depots are used by everyone in the area, farmers as well as townspeople.
We farm-based readers may not have curbside pickup (we don’t even have a curb), but we recycle.
– Maureen Schwanke,
Arrow River, Man.
