Letters to the editor

Reading Time: 9 minutes

Published: December 18, 2003

Followed advice

Here I am, writing from the back of my truck camper with a U-haul tied to the bumper. I took Louis’ advice and packed up to move to Alberta.

As the dawn breaks, I peer out my frost-covered window to see a sign saying “Tuktoyaktuk 15.”

Geez, the last thing I remember is heading due west when I swerved hard to miss a huge pothole. Oh well, today is a new day.

I am certainly pleased to see Louis seized this grand opportunity to slash the poor little Saskatchewan Party.

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By the way, Louis, your party won. You can quit campaigning, the election is over!

Just before I swerved for that pothole, the radio said that Alberta was thinking about amalgamating with Saskatchewan. Mr. Calvert quickly reared his ugly head. He was spouting off that the idea was total insanity.

Geez, I just can’t figger this politics stuff. After all, was it not the NDP who amalgamated the schools? Was it not the NDP who amalgamated the hospitals? Was it not the NDP who tried to amalgamate the RMs?

Logic and common sense would dictate that if amalgamation is so good for everything else, why not the provinces?

Gotta go now, and chase a polar bear out of my U-haul. I fully expect Louis will write back again, explaining to us all how red is green.

– David Sawkiw,

Preeceville, Sask.

Survey response

As I have a personal and vested interest in the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly issue and the Alberta Agriculture farmer survey, I must respond to George Calvin’s rantings. (Open Forum, Nov. 20.)

One year ago I did time in the Lethbridge Correctional Centre with 12 other farmers for refusing to pay fines imposed on us in a 1996 border demonstration. I exported $8 worth of barley without a CWB export permit.

We did this to demonstrate to Canadians that the federal government needs to give Alberta grain producers the same freedom from the monopoly as Ontario growers enjoy.

As producer opinion for choice in marketing increased in the last eight years, prompted by CWB marketing blunders, the Alberta government designed a survey to measure support for choice marketing or the monopoly.

George, nowhere does the term “dual market” appear.

Mr. Calvin errs in stating “nothing was stopping farmers from selling their own grain anywhere they wanted.” The buy-back scheme of the CWB’s export permit route penalizes Alberta producers enough to prevent any economical benefit in participating in the extortion exercise.

Why export a bushel of grain for $4 when you have to first buy your own grain back from the government board for $5? Only in Western Canada.

In Model T days, Henry Ford claimed you could get his car in any colour as long as it was black. Ninety years later our model T grain marketing system under the CWB has various options but they all involve no marketing choice for us.

By the way, only 25 percent of producers surveyed supported the monopoly and most of them are nearing retirement.

A thank you to our Alberta agriculture minister, Mrs. McClellan, for implementing the survey.

– Jim Ness,

New Brigden, Alta.

GM worries

In your magazine of Nov. 20 was an article entitled “Content rules provide food for thought.”

The article noted that standards are not an absolute, where sugar-free products may contain sugar, decaf may have up to three percent caffeine, organic foods may have up to five percent non-organic material.

Additionally we are advised that the biotechnology industry is lobbying to have the rules changed to allow small amounts of unapproved materials in food production without repercussions.

We are not told what sorts of foreign material are being discussed, only that present technology does not allow for such precise testing. One would assume that chemical or genetically modified organism contamination is being discussed.

Your editorial “Proceed carefully with new GM rules” (Nov. 20) would seem to take it for granted that GM technology is perfectly safe, noting that “Canada’s registration system is based on science for good reason. Regardless of how a variety was produced, if it meets the standards of the class, is safe for people and animals and poses no danger to the environment, it is registered.”

Yet we are to understand that technology is not sophisticated enough to make such a guarantee. Curious.

We take justifiable pride in our food industry and its safety standards. It is one of the best in the world. What we forget when considering whether GMOs are safe is that science has no understanding on how to measure such a thing. It is too new and only time will give us that perspective of safety in the food supply. …

There is another less tangible force at work here, one which is immune to scientific evaluation. How does one measure the implications of transference of a gene from one species of life to that of a difference species? From an animal to that of a plant, from a fish to a tomato?

Our present guidelines for food safety have no ability to measure such a thing. With time perhaps it will. In the meantime yes, there are something like six billion people to be fed, with more coming all the time. Perhaps we as citizens, editorialists, commentators should put some emphasis on the need to examine the detrimental effect such a number is having on the only home we have, this planet we call earth.

– Wayne James,

Beausejour, Man.

Western drum

I was a long time (Western Producer) subscriber for many years, until it became the propaganda arm of the wheat pools and Sask Pool in particular.

Since we lost the Western Report magazine, there is very little being written that does not beat the Eastern Canada, politically correct drum.

So I hope for good factual articles with a truly Western Canada perspective to be found in your paper, especially in the editorial department. We need writers that understand the plight of the West, and have the courage to stand up and be counted.

– R. N. Huber,

Redcliff, Alta.

Trust an issue

Abraham Lincoln once said you can fool some of the people some of the time, you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. This applies to the recent Saskatchewan election.

In the debate (Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin) Hermanson didn’t give his opponents much of a chance to speak without interrupting and heckling.

The opposition leader’s slogan was the Saskatchewan people want a change. The question was what kind of change.

We had change with Ross Thatcher. We got a surcharge to see a doctor, the sale of the Saskatchewan government gas fields in Alberta.

Then we got the Grant Devine change. That meant the sale of the Saskatchewan potash mines for 35 cents on the dollar, the cancellation of the school dental plan, and all the nurses fired, the coal mines in Estevan sold plus the giant loading scoop, also a $14 billion debt left behind for the new government to pay. Then about 25 MLAs in court guilty of wrong-doing.

Had Mr. Devine not been turfed out, there would be no crown corporations today.

The Canadian Alliance is part of the same gang. They want to destroy the wheat board. They can’t be trusted with the universal health plan. They got elected by making a big issue of the MPs’ gold pension plan. Have any of them turned it down? Never.

When the federal Liberals destroyed the Crow rate, one of the Alliance MPs said it should have been done long ago.

Now they want to amalgamate with the Conservative Party. Peter McKay made a pledge to David Orchard that it would never happen. Can he be trusted?

– Oscar Gellert,

Stornoway, Sask.

Christmas list

Prior to the (Manitoba) election this spring, there was a lot of discussion on education funding and property taxation.

Now that the NDP is in power again, why have we not heard a thing about it? Do we need to put it on our Christmas wish list?

There has been a declining trend in provincial funding to cover education operating expenses, from 82.4 percent in 1981 to 75 percent for 2003. The recent throne speech gave no indication that Kindergarten to Senior 4 (Grade 12) education is a priority for the government and it appears there will be no changes to current funding levels.

A minister’s working group is now preparing a report on education finance. What recommendations it will have are unknown. The big question is what will the NDP do with it?

Education funding has been studied for years and reports have a tendency to sit and collect dust. We want to ensure not only that this report is made public but also that action is taken to institute a long-term solution for this very important issue.

The fact is that education, like health care, is a core provincial responsibility and it should be funded accordingly.

How would you feel if health care was only funded to 57 percent and you were told the rest would have to come from your local property taxes?

The NDP will announce funding for education in mid-January. Do you want to see changes to the current situation? Are you concerned about maintaining programs and services in our schools? Are you willing to see local mill rates rise again and increase education property taxes even further?

A wide variety of organizations have been lobbying the government for adequate, fair and equitable education funding for many years. These include chambers of commerce, real estate boards, school trustees and business officials, seniors groups, agricultural and municipal organizations.

It is time to lend our support to these groups that have been working so diligently on our behalf. Let’s ask the NDP for a belated Christmas gift for us all. Let’s ask them to reform the current system of education taxation to reflect their responsibility to the children of this province. Education is a priceless gift. It is time for this government to invest in the future of our children….

– Sandi Knight,

Spokesperson for Citizens for Education Funding Reform,

Macdonald, Man.

Cull cows

(Federal agriculture minister Lyle) Vanclief doesn’t seem to understand the devastation it has caused the cattlemen and to come up with $159 per cow and a $1 a day to feed these cull cows, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out it costs more than a $1 to feed these cows in the winter; it costs the same as to feed a heifer.

Maybe Mr. Vanclief should start farming again and forget about his salary and try to make it nowadays when everything the farmer produces isn’t worth anything and we’re to feed the world for nothing.

We had cull cows at the market on May 20. Well anyway, we still have them. One had the calf at her side and it’s only about 300 pounds. Another one we took her calf and put on our milk cow. It’s 500 lb. Both about the same age. They want us to sell bred heifers and keep the cull cows and rebreed as these cull cows are worth nothing, but what do you do with these calves next calving season. Pail feed them?

Why can’t the government come up with a decent price for these cull cows, to be an incentive to sell, as these cows can be made into hamburger. The fast food outlets need the hamburger, and wouldn’t more people eat hamburger if it was 50 cents a lb. in the stores instead of $2 per lb.?

I don’t think anyone would mind selling their cull cows for $159 if the price of meat came down in the store, but it sure isn’t the cattleman that’s making the money.

But I guess the governments want us to all move to the cities and get a nine-to-five job and quit growing free food for the world and yet there’s still people starving and poverty still exists.

– Elaine Cozart,

Brownlee, Sask.

Good marketer

Albert Wagner is running down the Canadian Wheat Board and demonstrating his lack of understanding of farming and our history.

The CWB was the result of many years of effort by western Canadian farm organizations like the Alberta Wheat Pool and the other prairie pools. The CWB legislation is hardly repressive, nor was it imposed on the West.

In fact, it was passed when a prime minister elected from the West was in power, R. B. Bennett.

According to Mr. Wagner, the 2002-03 crop year was disastrous because of the CWB.

In fact, last year’s crop was the smallest on record and much of it laid out over winter, resulting in poor quality.

Since the CWB’s audited statement has not yet been published, I am uncertain how he can claim that the CWB lost $100 million last year. He also seems to be unaware that the rising Canadian dollar is causing problems for all our export industries.

The weather and the rising dollar are not the fault of the CWB.

With the largest malt plant in the world at Alix, Alta., we have an expanding malt barley processing industry in the West which can also supply overseas customers with malt barley. This is a good thing since local industries can pay no more than world prices for their grain supply no matter where it comes from.

Europe heavily subsidizes its malt barley production and for a few weeks last year it was actually cheaper than our own malt barley. I would not prefer the CWB to sell malt barley to the lower bidder.

A very old accusation that a small pasta plant was stopped by the CWB is nonsense. When Prairie Pasta did their business plan, it was found that there was already an overcapacity of pasta plants in Western Canada and no bank would finance their venture. Their website even contained a statement that the CWB was not involved in that decision.

It would be appreciated if Mr. Wagner could keep his facts straight when criticizing the CWB. He also needs to remember that farmers have consistently supported the CWB in elections for the CWB board of directors. Grain farmers do this because they understand the CWB is the best marketing department they could have.

– Harvey Thomas,

Alliance, Alta.

Bill of goods

Basically what all this hindsight is telling us is that farmers can easily be sold a bill of goods if the bill is being sold by people whom they hold in great esteem.

They actually started to believe that there was integrity in the world trading system and that every other trading nation would see it as a great gesture on Canada’s behalf so they would have to follow suit.

Now they are laughing and thinking what suckers we turned out to be and now we are in an extremely weakened position since the government is controlled by the East …

The real suckers in this, though, are the so-called intellects whom we trusted with our futures as grain farmers.

They, in their great wisdom, advised us to sell ourselves down the river and now as they look back, they have to be honest with themselves and all of the rest of us and admit that they were too stupid to realize how they were being suckered.

So much for our educated economists and their great advice. How many times in the past have they actually predicted things correctly? It is starting to seem to me that our universities can take the economics class right out of the curriculum and we’d probably all be better off.

We are currently sitting on $2 per bushel wheat at a 25 percent call through the wheat board and this is supposed to address our production costs in 2003?

Thank God I’m in the position to sell my farm to the people who seem to think that land is a great investment.

Perhaps it is, if you already have enough money and you’re just looking at it as a long-term investment?

– Dwayne Jones,

Melita, Man.

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