Animal laws
In the July 20 issue of the Western Producer is an article by Steve Carroll titled “Support sought for animal laws.”
It is most encouraging that this long overdue matter is brought to our attention yet again. The federal laws protecting animals from cruelty were drawn up in 1892. They must live and die within the confines of laws 114 years old. Imagine our citizens being sheltered in a manner so callous, so casual.
Lobby groups and vested interests are constantly bringing their own needs and aspirations to the various seats of governmental power.
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We have both a voice and a vote while the animals have neither. They must rely on us and our record of care is not a good one.
There is no doubt that Canada will ultimately get around to updating these century old laws as the vast majority of people care about animals.
The fact that our legislators have delayed for so long on this urgent matter is a shame we must all share and live with.
Canada self-righteously holds itself forth in the world community as a peace loving, humanitarian nation. If animals could speak they would tell it quite differently.
A democratic society is judged especially by the way it treats its fully dependent, its mute. We could all learn and take example of various European animal welfare laws, which by comparison make ours appear barbaric.
Come on Canada, get with it. Our satisfaction and award for updating our animal welfare laws will come from within, in the knowledge that we have finally acted on behalf of those who cannot say thank you.
Selflessness could just be the ultimate peace of mind.
– Walter A. Kumph,
Kelowna, B.C.
Boot Tories
Yes, farmers voted in the questionable Conservative government and its hidden agenda. The choice wasn’t big.
Now we have no democratic vote by farmers on the necessity of keeping the Canadian Wheat Board. (Alberta premier Ralph) Klein and (prime minister Stephen) Harper are planning to drive the last nail in your coffin. Big business as usual.
To hell with the WTO (World Trade Organization.) Why not bring back GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and live in peace and harmony?
This fascist government must go. They talk out of both sides of the mouth, with a split tongue, and plan such unbelievable harm to what’s left of the farming industry in Canada, the breadbasket of the world once.
They dangled a carrot and got rid of the Crow Rate. The deceit by governments in the last 35 years is undesirable.
Canada needs a completely new party to lead with honesty and common sense coming down through the prime minister.
This government must be moved on quickly to prevent more harm to our sovereign Canada.
– L. Bohush,
Sherwood Park, Alta.
Like a monopoly
Ever since his involvement with the National Citizens Coalition, (prime minister Stephen) Harper seems to have a vendetta with monopolies that work for farmers like the Canadian Wheat Board.
It’s run by farmers, financed by farmers, sells only Canadian wheat and barley and has returned up to $300 million per year back to farmers and is envied and condemned by our competitors, but respected and praised by our customers.
Nothing is said about all the other monopolies, like the oil and gas companies. There must be hundreds of them pumping oil and gas and they must have different costs and profit margins, yet every day only one price is quoted. You go down the street and every gas station has the same price posted.
Just before the last price raise I came upon a station attendant just coming down from his price board. I said, “What is going on?” He said, “We just got a call to raise your pump price.”
Sounds like a monopoly to me and it’s not good for the farmers or anyone.
Farmers spend thousands of dollars on Roundup from Monsanto. The price seems to be the same to all their outlets and they have been doing it for years. It sounds like a monopoly to me and it’s not good for the farmers.
We have CP Rail in the south and CN in the north and there’s no competition. Rail costs are the same. It sounds like a monopoly to me.
It seems if it’s good for farmers, it’s bad. If it’s good for grain companies and others, it’s OK.
Check what you pay to have the CWB market your grain. Try to find out from a grain company what it costs to market your non-board grain.
If you happened to deliver grain to the CWB just before a price rise, you get a good part back on the final pooled price.
If you deliver to a grain company and the price goes up, it goes to their bottom line, then to their shareholders. Don’t be fooled by a so-called dual market. It’s an open market and don’t forget it. The stakes are high.
I hope democracy still prevails in Canada, and before organizations that farmers worked too hard to put in place are destroyed, farmers should have a say.
– Avery Sahl,
Mossbank, Sask.
Rural attack
I was appalled at an article that appeared on the front page of the July 18 issue of the Regina Leader-Post.
The story was written by (Canadian Press reporter) Judy Monchuk in the wake of the killing of two RCMP officers near Spiritwood, Sask., shortly after the accused Curtis Dagenais voluntarily gave himself up to police.
Monchuk’s article is a direct attack on the integrity of our rural population.
While the writer was quoting Alberta criminologist Bill Pitt, references are made to rural folks as “nasty little cauldrons, ticking time bombs, and pockets of anomalies.”
Pitt also makes claims that many of us are “socially marginalized cop haters,” and “people who own lots of guns.”
To make such claims is slanderous, if not outright cruel and racial. Pitt, who is in fact an ex-RCMP, obviously has deep resentment towards rural folks in the prairie west.
Yet nowhere in the article does the writer (Monchuk) provide details as to where reliable statistics exist that would prove such outrageous claims.
If indeed there are abnormal social problems in our rural society, it is most likely the direct result of years of neglect on the part of both the provincial and federal governments.
For example, looking at the history of the policies of the Chrétien government, almost every single piece of agricultural legislation that was implemented from 1993-2003 resulted in social and economic mayhem to the rural sector of Western Canada …
In one single move in southwestern Saskatchewan, the RCMP closed five detachments in small towns along the Canada-U.S. border. Does that not leave open doors to more crime?
Yet when town and municipal councils in these communities protested, they were told it was in the best interest of the economy.
If such accusations were made against any other minority group, the politically correct would be in court at the drop of a hat. Yet to propagate hatred against the rural community now seems to be socially acceptable.
– John J. Hamon,
Gravelbourg, Sask.
Dwindling hope
To the Editor:
There is no other word than fiasco that can describe the state of farming here in Western Canada.
Our commodities are at least double what we receive. There is deceit within the grain buying industry, gross profiteering to keep shareholders happy within and supermarkets affording to put on sale and publicizing huge profits. The railroads are seen as the same. In my lifetime I have not seen the likes of this absurdity.
Our government is trying to intervene and prop up the most important industry on this planet amongst all the other problems thrown at them every day.
There will be no end until sense and a shortage of the necessities of life are upon us.
It will happen and Mother Nature will show no mercy in this ever growing commercial and deteriorating, racketeering world we live in today.
I always hope for improvement for our industry for all farmers but alas, my hope is dwindling as the overall costs to farm now exceed the value of our products.
– Nick Parsons,
Farmington, B.C.
