I would like to thank Ms. (Mandy) Melnyk for her letter to theWestern ProducerMarch 10 in which she acknowledged my hard work and dedication to bringing western Canadian farmers marketing freedom.
While Ms. Melnyk and I may disagree on the Canadian Wheat Board’s decision to purchase ships with farmers’ pooled accounts, surely we all agree that farmers should be consulted about these types of decisions before they are made with farmers’ money.
This scheme has put $65 million of farmers’ pooled accounts at risk. The CWB even acknowledges that it will not be able to return this to the pooled accounts for a minimum seven to 10 years. Most farmers I know would like to retire in the next 10 years.
Read Also
Rural emergency room closures continue to be vexing problem
Staffing issues are at the root of disruptions and closures in hospital emergency departments, both in rural and urban Canadian locations.
The rest of the letter is absolutely devoid of facts. It is our Conservative government that has implemented the shippers’ bill of rights and conducted the level of service review that our farmers and shippers have been calling on for years.
Mr. Stanton’s bill to provide marketing freedom to western Canadian farmers (which I am proud to have seconded) does not seek to destroy the CWB: it simply offers an opt out clause for farmers who wish to sell their property on their own, to opt out of the board for a minimum period of two years.
If the CWB is such an instrumental marketing tool for farmers, why is the CWB afraid to allow farmers to make their own decisions? Maybe it is because many younger farmers feel they can do better on their own.
The 2008 Informa Economics report that compared the CWB’s record to that of an open market over a five year period stated, “Based on the most recent five year average of grain delivered into the CWB pooled accounts, revenue gains from an open market system would total $450 to $628 million a year.” That is right -per year.
I am proud to stand side by side with principled men like Gerry Ritz and David Anderson who will always fight for freedom and transparency in our agricuBrian Storseth,
Member of Parliament Westlock-St. Paul, Alta.
