After years of fighting with producers who simply want a choice in how to market their own grain, the end seems to be drawing near for the Canadian Wheat Board.
After years of fighting with producers who simply want a choice in how to market their own grain, the end seems to be drawing near for the Canadian Wheat Board.
In spite of its nationalistic name, the CWB only applies to western grain farmers, which has been a bone of contention for many producers for many years, even those who have availed themselves of the services afforded by its monopoly on the marketing of wheat, durum and barley.
Now, with the safety of a majority government, the Conservatives have indicated their plan to remove the CWB's monopoly as of the start of the next crop year, on August 1, 2012, giving them one last crop year in which to try and market the grain of western farmers.
Part of the difficulty with what they're planning is the provision in the Canadian Wheat Board Act for farmers to have the power to make such a major change in their mandate and power to monopolize the marketing. Since the Conservatives have made no plans to allow for a vote by farmers, the CWB have enacted plans of their own to hold a plebiscite on the matter.
Since this is being organized and run by the CWB itself, they run the danger of having the vote ignored by the federal government, who plans to make the changes to the Wheat Board regardless; they also run the risk of finding out that the level for maintaining their monopoly may not be as strong as they feel it is.
If the vote is strongly in their favour, then the Conservatives are running the risk that producers will backlash against them in the next election, if the level of support of their single desk powers is that high.
The Conservatives could have, and indeed should have, taken the high road and held the plebiscite themselves, since it is in fact a provision of the Act which was enacted by legislation passed by Parliament. Thus they could have set the questions the way they wanted it, and used the results the way they wanted to; now, the very organization they're fundamentally changing is holding it themselves.
Perhaps as MP Ed Komarnicki said it's time for a change; if so, there are ways to do it that would still fulfil their wishes and not outraged the many producers in the west who support the Canadian Wheat Board.
