To the Editor:
The voice of Prairie farmers will be heard on Sept. 9, when results of the Canadian Wheat Board's producer plebiscite on its future are released by MNP.
The CWB's board of directors will respect the results of this plebiscite. If a majority of farmers wants to end the single desk for barley or wheat, we will actively support the transition to an open market. I am calling on Minister Gerry Ritz and the Government of Canada to also respect farmers' wishes.
Throughout the plebiscite voting period, which began in late July, many farmers have asked what the CWB look like without a single desk. The short answer is this: there won't be a CWB once the single desk is dismantled. A new organization may or may not be created, but it will be nothing like the existing CWB.
In recognition that the government may proceed with its plan to remove the CWB single desk by Aug. 1, 2012, without consulting farmers, we have been in close contact with federal officials throughout the summer. We have made them aware that the CWB cannot offer farmers anywhere near the same value without a single desk. We have made them aware of the costs of winding down the current CWB.
We have also been very clear that a new CWB cannot be created without an infusion of significant operating and financing capital, regulated access to terminals, assistance in an ownership structure, and other measures to safeguard a fledgling company in its formative years.
This is where we have hit a roadblock. We simply cannot proceed further until the government shares its vision for a new organization. Minister Ritz says he wants a "strong and viable" organization. But with no money to pay farmers for grain, no ability to finance operations, no place to accept deliveries and no way to move grain to customers, a new entity cannot survive. That is a recipe for failure.
Allen Oberg, Chair, CWB board of directors, Forestburg, AB.
