End of an era
The House of Commons has resumed sitting, and one of the first orders of business appears to be an amendment to the Canadian Wheat Board Act that would effectively end its 75-year reign as the so-called "single desk".
by Max Fawcett
by Max Fawcett, Managing Editor
On July 5, 1935, the Canadian Wheat Board was born. If the rhetoric coming from the Harper government is any indication, it’s already entering its death throes. Despite a survey conducted by the CWB this past summer that indicated 62 per cent of wheat farmers and 51 per cent of barley producers wanted to maintain the CWB’s status as the sole Canadian agent for their commodities, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz appears ready to press ahead with changes to the Canadian Wheat Board Act that would eliminate its status as the sole buyer of Canadian wheat and barley.
Once the tributes to Jack Layton die down, it’s likely that Ritz’s legislation amending the Canadian Wheat Board Act will be one of the first pieces of business on the Conservative government’s agenda. Farmers are still split on the issue – see our story in September – but it appears that the government has made its decision. If it pushes the legislation through the House of Commons and the Senate, Canadian farmers will have the option beginning next year to sell their barley and wheat through the CWB or directly to companies like Viterra, Cargill, and other agri-business giants. Only time will tell whether the Conservative government’s decision will be good or bad for Canadian farmers, and what impact, if any, it will have on the contents of ballot boxes in future elections.
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