Tuesday’s proceedings in the House of Commons proved testy and the federal minister of agriculture was right in the middle of it.
Battlefords-Lloydminster MP Gerry Ritz was on the hot seat of some vicious attacks from the NDP on the topic of the Canadian Wheat Board, with tempers getting a little too heated from the opposition side of the aisle.
Welland MP Malcolm Allen, himself no stranger to Commons dust-ups with the agriculture minister, raised the issue in respect to rumours circulating that American-based Archer Daniels Midland were in talks to acquire the CWB.
He questioned why another group of investors was not being considered, according to the Hansard transcript:
“Mr. Speaker, Farmers of North America, a group of more than 3,000 Canadian farmer investors, recently offered to buy the Canadian Wheat Board for — get this — about $250 million to $300 million, which they thought it was worth. The Conservatives rejected the offer. They did not give a reason. They just said no.
“Now, we hear the minister will hand over the Wheat Board's assets to the private sector for a grand total of — get this — zero. That is right: nothing, nada, no thank you; just give it away.
“I ask a simple question. Why would the Conservative government give away these assets free to multinational corporations instead of simply selling to Canadian farmers and actually gaining a real value for Canadian farmers?”
Ritz responded:
“Mr. Speaker, the easy answer is that absolutely none of that is true or based upon any kind of fact at all.
“The Farmers of North America's bid was adjudicated by a third-party auditor and legal team that the CWB put into place. This was not a political process.
“As to the assets of the CWB, they will become part of a privatization plan as it looks to recapitalize with another partner. That is exactly what is happening, under the auspices — as I said, all these tenders are looked at through the eyes of a third-party audit team, as well as a legal team.”
The questioning on the floor then shifted to Pat Martin, Winnipeg Centre MP, with his tone to Ritz taking a decided turn.
Martin: “Mr. Speaker, let us see if I understand the Conservatives' business plan for the Canadian Wheat Board.
“First, they take the largest and most successful grain marketing company in the world and then they give it away, free of charge, to an American agri-food giant which, until recently, was its greatest competitor.
“My question is simple, and I ask it through you, Mr. Speaker. Has the minister lost his freaking mind? Or is he that …”
Before Ritz could answer, House Speaker Andrew Scheer interjected by saying “order, please. That is extremely unhelpful.”
The speaker then quickly moved on to the next question.
