Agriculture Ministers from Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia recently congratulated the federal government on Bill C-18, The Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act, receiving Royal Assent.
This historic legislation officially gives western Canadian grain farmers the freedom to market their own wheat and barley. Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia together produce more than 80 per cent of the wheat and 90 per cent of the barley grown in Western Canada.
"This is a historic day for Saskatchewan wheat and barley producers, who will now have the same marketing freedom as producers in Eastern Canada and throughout the world," Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud said on December 16. "Our farmers spend their own hard-earned money on land, machinery and inputs to grow their own crops and finally, they now have the right to decide how, when, and to whom they sell their products. We applaud the federal government for giving them this freedom, which they so rightly deserve."
"The federal government's decision to deliver on its long-standing promise to provide choice for Western Canadian wheat and barley producers is an important one," Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Evan Berger said. "This legislation provides certainty to Alberta's grain producers so they can begin making decisions and locking in contracts for next year's grain crops."
"I congratulate the federal government for fulfilling a commitment that provides fairness, equity and opportunity for Western Canadian farmers," British Columbia's Agriculture Minister Don McRae said. "Western Canadian famers have always been innovative leaders but their access to new markets has been hampered by a restrictive marketing system. As a result of these changes farm families and rural communities will have more control of their economic future."
